Islamabad on high alert

[Elly]

ISLAMABAD: Security in the Federal Capital has been put on red alert after intelligence reports that terrorists could attack Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Headquarters, Geo News reported.

According to sources, PAF, Pakistan Navy, and Islamabad police commandoes Sunday mounted a joint search operation in Margallah Hills detaining several suspects, the sources added.

Security forces would remain deployed on the Hills till further orders as the crackdown was yet underway.

Policemen were combing Margallah Hills and search operation was conducted with the assistance of naval and PAF personnel, a police spokesman said in an official statement.

Heads of all police stations were also directed to maintain high vigilance in their respective areas who screened houses, workshops, markets, under construction buildings, and residential areas.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations, Dr Rizwan told Geo News that certain intelligence alerts including a warning regarding a possible terrorist attack on PAF Headquarters prompted these special security measures.

“Also this thick security blanket has been laid over the Capital to head off any untoward incident ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr most probably falling on August 9," he added.

He said that law enforcers along with troops were combing the vicinities of Margallah Hills, adding the search operation was also conducted in inns, hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, slums, and Afghan refugee settlements.

 

[Argus Panoptes]

As Amir liaquat would say, " Kuch musalmano say tukkay lag rahy hain aur kuch musalmano kai tukkay nahi lag rahy"

As the Senior Mod and Admin say:

http://www.defence.pk/forums/announcements/268361-stick-english-please.html

Neither winning nor losing. We're going no where with the strategy.

Going nowhere is as good as losing, given the situation, and the fact that the other side is rapidly progressing towards their goals while we go nowhere.

 

[Amaa'n]

According to paffalcons, SSW and SSG-N have cordoned off Margalla Hills and a search operation is underway.

SSW conducting a search operation in Islamabad is logical, but why is SSG-N with them? Why not SSG-N all alone? Or SSG?

it would make sense since Air & Naval HQ are on same road; along margalla hills, back side of these HQs is vulnerable from the backside, so a Joint task force was formed, its good move

Police has been conducting allot of raids andcatching terrorists from those hills from past few months, infact just 2 weeks ago a search operation was conducted and some terrorists were bagged.
Based on this I came to conclusion that these bad guys have been using somehow Islamabad express way and the suburbs to get to the Islamabad airport, since Ch. Nisar ordered to remove all the pickets in islamabad

You allow beggars inside airports????

unfortunately yes- but only confined to the parking lot, they dont get to go near the main building

 

[Last Hope]

Going nowhere is as good as losing, given the situation, and the fact that the other side is rapidly progressing towards their goals while we go nowhere.

The war is based upon wrong strategy. A change in Pakistani goals could favor us, but the shift is very expensive.

 

[Argus Panoptes]

The war is based upon wrong strategy. A change in Pakistani goals could favor us, but the shift is very expensive.

What would be correct strategy in your book? And if the war is for our very survival, how can we not find the resources for it, whatever they might be?

 

[Amaa'n]

It's too late to do any proactive thing now...

The proactive thing had to be done a couple of months back to yield the result now. At this moment, all we can do is wait and watch and defend.

Being proactive means pounding their a$$es in Waziristan and border areas and Karachi...and you can't do that now.

If God forbid any plan for these last days of Ramzan has been made, little can be done except defending.

chalo sir g, only five more Roozas to go, Ramazan will be over- in these days perhaps we should have atleast formed a strategy and policy, execution comes later. In our case the situation is fcuked up from top to bottom. In KPK they had strategy, they had planning but execution was poor - that had its reason, here we have the resources , the willingness and yet we lack the strategy & the planning.
The cancer is spreading to the core of the cells, and before it infects the heart, it needs to caught and cured there and than.
Atleast we can stop the menace at the point rather than spreading.

 

[Last Hope]

What would be correct strategy in your book? And if the war is for our very survival, how can we not find the resources for it, whatever they might be?

Targeting the top than bottom in the organisational structure. As mentioned here: http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-affairs/264641-politics-religion-terrorism.html

The lack of sources is due to internal and external politics, of the region, and international as whole.

 

[Argus Panoptes]

Targeting the top than bottom in the organisational structure. As mentioned here: http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-affairs/264641-politics-religion-terrorism.html

The lack of sources is due to internal and external politics, of the region, and international as whole.

The problem with that suggestion is that low grade asymmetric warfare such as that used by terrorists does not have a well-defined "top" that can be taken out to the extent that the rest of the organization falls apart. Did Al-Qaeda fall apart after OBL was killed? Similarly, killing a few hundred top leaders of TTP will merely create the next crop to take their place.

Throwing more money at this is not the answer either.

This is a war of ideas and the smarter side will win, right or wrong.

 

[Last Hope]

The problem with that suggestion is that low grade asymmetric warfare such as that used by terrorists does not have a well-defined "top" that can be taken out to the extent that the rest of the organization falls apart. Did Al-Qaeda fall apart after OBL was killed? Similarly, killing a few hundred top leaders of TTP will merely create the next crop to take their place.

Throwing more money at this is not the answer either.

This is a war of ideas and the smarter side will win, right or wrong.

Didn't say to kill the top, but to create a gap. For example, the top is sitting in Afghanistan, the supplies, resources, re-enactment, comes from Afghanistan. Orders, intelligence, tactics, training, commanders, come from Afghanistan too. To shut down the supply line, then targeting the remaining fighters, their bases, bunkers, would be a more sensible approach. There isn't any point in launching short operations in particular region, and not sealing off the supply lines.

 

[Amaa'n]

Didn't say to kill the top, but to create a gap. For example, the top is sitting in Afghanistan, the supplies, resources, re-enactment, comes from Afghanistan. Orders, intelligence, tactics, training, commanders, come from Afghanistan too. To shut down the supply line, then targeting the remaining fighters, their bases, bunkers, would be a more sensible approach. There isn't any point in launching short operations in particular region, and not sealing off the supply lines.

as I have been saying for a while now sir, we need to learn from Past mistakes, We showed our military strength in Operation Silence - what did that get us? - even the terrorists women stood against us. That was needed at that time, but right now, this is more like an ideological warfare, even if we kill the middle order commanders, that is not going to help, as they will gather up in few months down the road. It might hurt us all , and might be disrespectful to those who gave their lives for the cause - but sadly engaging them in a dialogue would help us more.
We need to cut down the Funding from within the country through these charities organizations and madrasas. Getting a clamp on hawala system (which currently is being used by politicians themselves). once you have cornered them, than they will themselves come on the table.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

as I have been saying for a while now sir, we need to learn from Past mistakes, We showed our military strength in Operation Silence - what did that get us? - even the terrorists women stood against us. That was needed at that time, but right now, this is more like an ideological warfare, even if we kill the middle order commanders, that is not going to help, as they will gather up in few months down the road. It might hurt us all , and might be disrespectful to those who gave their lives for the cause - but sadly engaging them in a dialogue would help us more.
We need to cut down the Funding from within the country through these charities organizations and madrasas. Getting a clamp on hawala system (which currently is being used by politicians themselves). once you have cornered them, than they will themselves come on the table.

Engage with people who dont even accept the constitution and want their "emirate of Pakistan"... havent we tried tht in the past? what results did it bring? they have always broken their promises.. its time to man up ... go to N.waziristan guns blazin and exterminate these motherfukers! otherwise they will keep blowin sh!t up at their place n time of choice.. and while we sit here and ****** about it...

 

[Last Hope]

Everyone has different opinion, different solution, most of these have been worked out and we've got nowhere closer to the solution.

As a serving officer (wouldn't mention the rank here) says 'Sir ye humari jung nahi hai, tou hum kaise jeetain?' ('Sir, this isn't even our our so how would we win?')

 

[Amaa'n]

Engage with people who dont even accept the constitution and want their "emirate of Pakistan"... havent we tried tht in the past? what results did it bring? they have always broken their promises.. its time to man up ... go to N.waziristan guns blazin and exterminate these motherfukers! otherwise they will keep blowin sh!t up at their place n time of choice.. and while we sit here and ****** about it...

we went in there blazing guns/ helis, tanks mortars in 2008-09 that didn't help at all, they backed down for few months and emerged again in a different area- NW in this case. we went blazing guns in Operation Silence, and look how that helped us. we need to stop looking at it like a snake with single head- which will die if you chop off the head.
as said above killing obl never did any harm to AQ- they are still active in ME and Africa.

Everyone has different opinion, different solution, most of these have been worked out and we've got nowhere closer to the solution.

As a serving officer (wouldn't mention the rank here) says 'Sir ye humari jung nahi hai, tou hum kaise jeetain?' ('Sir, this isn't even our our so how would we win?')

I don't know when these comments were made but sir- right now this war is definitely ours - as of right now our forces are being killed. NATO leaving Afghan will make a difference but not as much as we are expecting.

 

[Edevelop]

ISLAMABAD: Police conducted search operations in the federal capital along with contingents of Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy in the vicinity of Margalla hills.

They maintained high alert in the city to ensure foolproof security.

"Policemen were assigned the task of combing the nearby areas of Margalla Hills where search operations were conducted," a police spokesman said.

The heads of all police stations were also directed to maintain high vigilance in their respective areas where they screened houses, workshops, markets, under construction buildings and residential areas.

Following the directions of SSP Islamabad Muhammad Rizwan, policemen in the form of teams conducted search operations in the vicinity of Margalla Hills.

Search operations were was also conducted in slum areas, inns, hotels, restaurants and Afghan habitats.

These measures are being taken to ensure foolproof security and keep a vigilant eye on suspicious elements.

The police spokesman maintained the search operation would continue in the coming days.


Police, air force, navy commandos deployed in Margalla Hills - DAWN.COM

 

[Last Hope]

I don't know when these comments were made but sir- right now this war is definitely ours - as of right now our forces are being killed. NATO leaving Afghan will make a difference but not as much as we are expecting.

These comments were made at Bahawalpur Garrison, the officer I quoted is my friend. The war wasn't ours to begin with, but now is ours to end. The strategy is complex, once Afghanistan is vacant from Americans, the equilibrium could change to our favor, which also depends on the doctrine and how much federal government is willing to support army for operations.