FATA Situation

[Munir]

The "elected" government is not capable to handle anything. They ruined economy. Their supreme leader Zardari tells press about real democracy inducted by him while he is surely mr 10% from Pakistan... His donkey Gilani is not able to speak decent english... And is the beggar in USA and KSA... Their voicegirl is more busy with make-up then the country... O Lord, I rather stay in hell.

 

[RabzonKhan]

Another point to ponder is the timing of the operation coinciding with the terrorist attacks in China, with some speculation that Uighur militants might be training in FATA/Afghanistan.

There have been reports along these lines before as well, of the presence of Uighur's, Chechen's, Uzbek's and Al Qaeda, mostly in the areas dominated by the TTP.

Whatever the reason, I hope this operation continues till Bajaur is wiped clean, however long it takes. I think the TTP with their statements about 'taking over any city in Pakistan' have made it clear that if we do not fight them and destroy them in FATA, we will be fighting them elsewhere in Pakistan, while they consolidate their hold in FATA.

Right on, an excellent observation.

 

[RabzonKhan]

the taliban have decided to vacate bajaur citing "we dont want civilian casaulties" however the main reason we know - pounding by air force and cobras.

That sounds good, do you have a link to it?

 

[blain2]

AM - i cannot comprehend the sudden effectiveness of the FC to conduct such large scale ops without the PA's involvement on the ground. the SF's are in the fight my friend.

I concur. The only way to suppress these guys is to shove the regulars and the SOTF up their noses. They run and then ask for talks or threaten strikes in other parts of Pakistan. As soon as you guys see killings of civilians randomly (on charges of being spies), or suicide bombings taking place in the cities, know so that the Army boot is shoved up the right crevice and is putting the right kind of pressure. The key is for the government to press on regardless of the collateral damage. The Army can do this, however it has to be done systematically and without holding back the Army.

In Bajaur, we had taken action in 59-61 as well. We had used Artillery, infantry, SSG and support from PAF F-86s to quell similar tribesmen back then. So contrary to reports, this is not the first time that action of this scale is being taken.

 

[batmannow]

I concur. The only way to suppress these guys is to shove the regulars and the SOTF up their noses. They run and then ask for talks or threaten strikes in other parts of Pakistan. As soon as you guys see killings of civilians randomly (on charges of being spies), or suicide bombings taking place in the cities, know so that the Army boot is shoved up the right crevice and is putting the right kind of pressure. The key is for the government to press on regardless of the collateral damage. The Army can do this, however it has to be done systematically and without holding back the Army.

In Bajaur, we had taken action in 59-61 as well. We had used Artillery, infantry, SSG and support from PAF F-86s to quell similar tribesmen back then. So contrary to reports, this is not the first time that action of this scale is being taken.

Pakistani Taliban Repel Government Offensive
By JANE PERLEZ and PIR ZUBAIR SHAH
Published: August 10, 2008
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Taliban fighters forced Pakistani soldiers to retreat from a militants’ stronghold near the border with Afghanistan over the weekend, after a three-day battle sent civilians fleeing from government airstrikes.

Military spokesmen said 6 soldiers had been killed, though the Pakistani Taliban put the number at 22. It was unclear how many civilians had died.

The clash was the second in two weeks between government forces and the Taliban. The army has been trying to push the Taliban out of Swat, an area east of the tribal region, where a two-month-old peace agreement between the government of the North-West Frontier Province and the Taliban is in shreds.

There was some speculation among Pakistanis that the sudden offensive in Bajaur was aimed at satisfying the Bush administration, which has increasingly criticized Pakistan for not doing enough to stop Taliban fighters from crossing the border into Afghanistan to attack American soldiers.
The Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force commanded by the Pakistani Army, tried to take back a strategic military post in Bajaur that the Taliban had captured last winter.

The post, Loe Sam, is about 10 miles from Damadola, a Pakistani town on the border, which the United States bombed in January 2006 in the belief that it would hit Ayman al-Zawahri, the Qaeda deputy. The strike set off protests across Pakistan.

Loe Sam has strategic significance because it provides access to a pass that leads to Kunar Province in Afghanistan.
The area is used as an operating base by Faqir Muhammad, a senior member of the Pakistani Taliban umbrella group, Tehrik-i-Taliban. Mr. Muhammad is second in command to the leader of the group, Baitullah Mehsud.
The military used airstrikes to protect the soldiers as they retreated to Khar, the capital of Bajaur, said Mahmood Shah, a retired brigadier of the Pakistani Army who until 2006 was in charge of tribal area security.
Brigadier Shah criticized the army for not using enough men. “This was an ambitious undertaking,” he said. “Why did they have such feeble strength of 200 in the convoy? For the Frontier Corps, 200 is nothing.”
Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, a former interior minister whose ancestral village is near Bajaur, criticized the use of airstrikes. “This is pathetic and gruesome,” he said.

By Sunday evening, the Taliban had begun digging trenches around Khar, Mr. Sherpao said, apparently in an effort to further cut off the Frontier Corps.

The trouble began when the first convoy of Frontier Corps reached Loe Sam, Brigadier Shah said. There, the soldiers were encircled by the Taliban.

At one point, according to accounts from officials in Peshawar, the Taliban drove away with a tank, a particularly humiliating feat.

The insurgents then used rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine-gun fire to attack a relief convoy of reinforcements sent from Khar, according to residents who arrived in the nearby town of Risalpur on Saturday.
The Taliban also laid roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive devices, along the road the convoy traveled, said Mohammed Khan, a timber merchant from the village of Sadiq Abad whose house was on the route.

“When the convoy stopped because of the I.E.D.’s on the road, then the Taliban were everywhere, in every place — they came and attacked the Frontier Corps,” Mr. Khan said in Risalpur. “After the convoy stopped, there was fighting for two days. The Taliban have the natural advantage because there is so much greenery.”

The maize crop in the fields, a month from harvest, was nearly six feet tall and provided perfect hideouts for the insurgents, he said.

Mr. Khan said he had fled with four of his six children, and an extended family of 18. He was opposed to the Taliban, he said, and along the way asked for protection at a government compound but was told it was for government officials only. “Today we are homeless, shelterless and without education for our children,” he said.
Sahibzada Bahauddin, a journalist from the area who had also fled to Risalpur, said about 150 military posts like Loe Sam had been captured by the Taliban in Bajaur in the past year.
The Frontier Corps was challenging the Tehrik-i-Taliban near one of their strongholds, he said, adding: “What was the Frontier Corps doing on that route? The Taliban have controlled it completely for one year.”

Meanwhile, the Taliban attacked a police station in an area near Swat on Saturday night, lining up eight policemen and shooting them, local residents said. Last week, the military said it had killed a key commander of the Taliban in Swat, along with 13 other militants.
Brigadier Shah said the Taliban may have lured the army into a second offensive in Bajaur, knowing it was more than it could handle. Speaking of the government forces, he said, “They can’t simultaneously take on Bajaur and Swat.”

NYTimes.com
August 10, 2008

Why, again & again FC was being put in there? JUST to show weekness on the part of ARMED FORCES OF PAKISTAN?

WHAT IS OUR GHQ is doing, its bringing bad name to PAKARMY, scince last year? plz put a good number of regular troops with combination of SOF & smoke them out
ONCE & for all

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Pakistan forces kill 50 militants near Afghan border​

Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:42pm EDT

By Mian Saeed-ur-Rehman

KHAR, Pakistan, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Pakistani helicopter gunships attacked militants' hideout in a volatile tribal region on Monday and killed around 50 insurgents, taking the death toll to nearly 160 in five days of fighting, officials said.

More than 100 militants and nine soldiers were killed in fighting sparked by an attack on a security checkpoint on Wednesday in Bajaur tribal region, near the Afghan border. Bajaur is a known sanctuary for al Qaeda and Taliban militants.

"The helicopter gunships pounded positions of the militants in Bajaur and killed about 50 of them," a security official told Reuters. There were no casualties from the security forces, he said.

The fresh clashes erupted after militants attacked another post overnight.

A Reuters reporter said thousands of people were fleeing from the area after aircraft bombed four villages.

Separately, residents found the beheaded bodies of two men in an area 16 km (10 miles) west of Khar, Bajaur's main town, with a note that they had been killed for spying for U.S. and Pakistani forces.

"The note said the men were helping forces ... identify militant positions," said Mohmammad Khan, a local resident.

Meanwhile, two Shi'ite Muslims and a Sunni Muslim were gunned down in suspected sectarian attacks in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan.

Violence has intensified across Pakistan's northwest after a lull that followed an election in February when a coalition government led by the party of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto came to power seeking to negotiate peace.

Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who is also accused of plotting Bhutto's assassination, suspended talks in June and security has deteriorated since then.

Elsewhere, a man was killed when he was trying to plant explosives outside a hospital in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, police said. (Additional reporting by Sahibzada Bahauddin and Kamran Haider) (Writing by Zeeshan Haider and Augustine Anthony; Editing by Robert Birsel; editing by Sami Aboudi

Pakistan forces kill 50 militants near Afghan border | Reuters

While it is certainly possible that the SOTF and regular Army is assisting, and may have played a crucial role in breaking the 200 FC soldiers out of the siege they were in after the ambush, it still seems the majority of the ground troops are FC.

Most images on TV from the region, and reports by Tribal journalists and residents refer to the FC.

Regardless of who is fighting though - we have a consensus that this needs to be a sustained operation that breaks the back of the Bajaur Taliban.

I do find it interesting that things are quiet on the S Waziristan front. Could it be that the Gul Bahadur and Mullah Nazir alliance is keeping B Mehsud in check, or is it possible that the TTP forces finding themselves overstretched by fighting in both Swat and Bajaur?

A more sinister explanation could be the MQM's assertion that he is pushing his militants into Karachi and other cities, and may make his move there, and open a new front.

It is significant that Zawahiri released his statement blasting the GoP now, it must mean that the bastards are finding themselves under pressure, and are seeking to exploit the political instability in Pakistan. Alternatively, possibly rallying the militants elsewhere in Pakistan before the 'second front' opens.

 

[ejaz007]

22 Taliban killed in Bajaur fighting Updated at: 0200 PST, Tuesday, August 12, 2008


BAJAUR AGENCY: At least 13 members of a family including women and children were killed as a result of bombing at a village in Bajaur Agency while 22 Taliban were killed during fierce clashes between security forces and militants on Monday.

According to details, during bombing at the suspected hideouts and bases of Taliban in different areas of Bajaur Agency, several mortars landed into the house of a tribesman Tasleem. As a result, 13 family members were killed.

The eyewitnesses informed that the house was razed to the ground and no one survived. Later, the local tribesmen rushed to the site where they recovered the dead bodies from the debris.

The local officials and tribesmen in Bajaur Agency informed that Taliban attacked the check posts of security forces in Sikandaro and Tor Ghundai areas of Bajaur Agency.

The officials claimed that both the attacks were repulsed with inflicting heavy human and logistic losses to Taliban side. They claimed that 22 miscreants were killed and several others got injured during these clashes.

Similarly there is also report of fighting in Shandi Mor and Khawar Manzal areas of Bajaur Agency. The security forces used gunship helicopters and jet fighter planes.

The militants also bombed Omari Check Post that is quite close to Pak-Afghan border and Kaga Pass of Bajaur Agency. However, there is no report of casualties in the clashes and bombing in this part of Bajaur Agency.

It merits mentioning that Taliban have recently sped up their efforts for what they call ‘Islamisation’ both in Dir and Buner regions. The dwellers from both the regions are in uncertain situation and now making attempts to block activities of Taliban through their traditional jirgas.

It may be mentioned here that due to fierce fighting between the security forces and Taliban militants, thousands of people have left their homes in different parts of Bajaur Agency and shifted to other safer places.

AFP adds: “Troops targetted militant hideouts and strongholds in Bajaur and more than 50 militants are killed,” the paramilitary Frontier Corps said in a statement.

22 Taliban killed in Bajaur fighting

 

[Neo]

Al Qaida's No. 3 leader reportedly killed in Pakistan​

By Saeed Shah, McClatchy Newspapers
45 minutes ago

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Al Qaida's reputed number three commander has been killed in fighting in Pakistan's wild border region with Afghanistan , according to news reports Tuesday.

Amid a fierce battle which began a week ago between the Pakistani army and militants in Bajaur, a tribal area known as a hotbed for extremists, it emerged that Abu Saeed al Masri had been killed. It's thought that his real name is Mustafa Abu al Yazid , al Qaida's commander in Afghanistan .

The news came as Pakistani Taliban carried out an audacious attack on a military vehicle in the troubled North West Frontier Province. A powerful roadside bomb ripped through a bus that was carrying air force personnel, killing at least 13 people, including civilian passers-by.

Yazid had claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Danish Embassy in Islamabad earlier this year. He's also been linked to December's assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto .

Abu Khabab al Masri, an al Qaida chemical and biological-weapons expert, was killed last month in a U.S. airstrike in South Waziristan, another part of Pakistan's tribal area. The presence of Yazid and al Masri in Pakistan will fuel claims that not only is the Taliban insurrection in Afghanistan being directed from Pakistani territory but also that al Qaida is using the country as a worldwide base.

Yazid is an Egyptian who served time in jail with al Qaida's deputy leader, Ayman al Zawahri , after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981. He's been referred to as al Qaida's third most senior figure, rising through the ranks as other leaders have been killed. The Sept. 11 commission described Yazid as the network's "chief financial manager," and he may have wired money to the 9-11 hijackers.

He recently gave a rare interview, to Pakistani news channel Geo, in which he said that "all Americans are our enemy now, not just the American government."

Al Qaida's No. 3 leader reportedly killed in Pakistan - Yahoo! News

 

[fatman17]

That sounds good, do you have a link to it?

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[RabzonKhan]

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

Thanks, fatman.

 

[RabzonKhan]

This is outrageous! The Afghan troops must not be allowed to cross the border.

Tribesmen blame Afghanistan for supporting clashes in Kurram Agency

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: Clashes between the warring Bangash and Toori tribes have left at least 13 more dead and injured 20 others while the local tribal elders have accused the Afghan National Army (ANA) of interfering in Kurram Agency and taking advantage of the ongoing clashes, reported Dawn News on Tuesday.

The local tribesmen told the channel that hundreds of fighters of the ANA were coming from Afghanistan to take part in the clashes. The tribesmen claimed that the government and the local administration were helpless.They said that Afghanistan’s involvement in the clashes could result in the fight spreading to other parts of Kurram Agency. According to the channel, 53 people have died and 94 injured in the tribal conflict so far.

 

[RabzonKhan]

That is why I keep repeating that everyone in the region is playing their own dirty games, this has to stop, we urgently need is a regional conference involving Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Russia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China and US to discuss joint strategy to end regional rivalries and bring peace to Afghanistan and Pakistan.


Kurram students protest foreign interference

Staff Report

PESHAWAR: People from different areas recorded their protest by staging protest demonstrations and addressing news conferences and issued warnings to the government for redressing their grievances here on Wednesday.

The first such protest demonstration was staged by students from Kurram Agency, who asked the government to take notice of interference by Afghanistan and Iran in their areas.

The students chanted slogans against the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces in Afghanistan for their alleged bombing of the Sunni Muslim population in Kurram Agency.

Carrying banners and placards, the students were stopped by policemen when they tried to stage protest demonstrations in front of the Afghan and Iranian consulates.

They alleged the governments of Afghanistan and Iran were openly involved in the sectarian fighting in Kurram Agency, which had so far claimed hundred of lives and dislodged thousands others from their houses since November last year.

Swato Phatak women: Another protest demonstration was staged by women from Swato Phatak area of Peshawar against the Peshtakhara Police officials.

The protestors said the police arrested two persons from their area without any charge. They said the two people, Saifur Rehman and Mustafa, were still in lock-up while police officials were (allegedly) demanding money from their relatives for their release.

Khakrob Association: The Khakrob (sweepers) Association staged a demonstration in front of the Peshawar Press Club and warned of “broom-down” strike if the government did not pay heed to their “genuine” problems.

Speaking on the occasion, representative of the Khakrob Association Khalid Gul allegedly said that the sanitary inspector of the Town-I was deducting Rs 1,000 from their salaries every month without any reason.

He said the matter was brought into the notice of the Town-I nazim several times but he did not take action. He said the sweepers would stop work till indefinite period if action was not taken against the officer.

 

[RabzonKhan]

I hope the scumbag is dead!

Local TV: Senior Taliban commander killed in NW Pakistan

2008-08-14 22:32:45

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A senior Taliban leader was believed to have been killed on Thursday in a military operation in northwestern Pakistan's tribal region, local TV reported.

The Taliban commdander Maulvi Faqir may have been killed by security forces in the operation in Damadolla area of Bajaur tribal agency, private Geo TV said.

Maulvi Faqir is said to be the No. 2 figure in Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistan Taliban Movement.

But there is no official confirmation about the report.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

^^^ I'll send you a bouquet of roses if that turns out to be true!

 

[IceCold]

^^^ I'll send you a bouquet of roses if that turns out to be true!

That makes two of us.