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Operation Rah-e-Nijat (South Waziristan)

According to police, the suicide bombers were riding a motorcycle and apparently slipped on the bumpy road and a bomber’s jacket exploded accidentally. :oops: poor guys

serves them right bastards! dawoos log. Kunawozo.
 
Militants on retreat due to operation in South Waziristan: Zardari

ISLAMABAD, Nov 4 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari Wednesday said the militants were on a “retreat”, following the massive military operation in South Waziristan to rid the area of extremists and terrorists.

Talking to special envoy of the UN Secretary General for Humanitarian Assistance to Pakistan Jean-Maurice Ripert here at the Presidency, the President said the fight against militancy has been given political ownership and described it as “a great plus” in the ongoing fight.

President Zardari reiterated that the government was clear in its determination to eliminate the scourge of extremism and militancy and bring peace and stability to the country, the region and the world.

The President appreciated the active role being played by the UN agencies in providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Pakistan, especially in areas affected in the ongoing war against militancy and terrorism.

The President said the visit of the UNSG’s special envoy will further strengthen synergies of UN agencies in the country.

The President said that all possible measures have been taken to provide “foolproof security” to the UN personnel in the country.

He urged the UN agencies and the world community to help Pakistan look after the people displaced as a result of the fight against militants.

The President also expressed his condolences over the deaths of UN officials in the suicide attack on the World Food Programme office and paid rich tributes to them for “laying down their lives for the cause of humanity”.

Jean-Maurice Ripert assured the continued support and cooperation of the UN agencies for humanitarian assistance to Pakistan. He said that he would work with the Government of Pakistan and international financial institutions to mobilize resources for rehabilitation and reconstruction of the crisis affected areas.

The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Economic Affairs Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar, Foreign and Interior Secretaries, and other senior officials.

But where they are retreating to?? Weren't they encircled. I am wondering why there is no resistance and i am afraid that these thugs will fled into other agencies. Initial figure was more than 10,000 of these but just look how many have been eliminated and forces are already in Sararugha and Ladha.:blink:
 
Op Rah-e-Nijat: Security forces advance into Ladha

Updated at: 1702 PST, Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Op Rah-e-Nijat: Security forces advance into Ladha WANA: Security forces have killed 30 militants amidst heavy clashes and street to street fighting, as the military forces advance into the terrorists’ stronghold, the town of LADHA.

According to ISPR Wednesday, 8 soldiers including 2 Officers and 1 Junior Commissioned Officer were injured.

On Jandola – Sararogha Axis, security forces have cleared major part of Sararogaha. During engagements 16 terrorists have been killed. While 7 soldiers including 2 officers and 1 Junior Commissioned Officer got injured.

Security forces also secured Prato Narai and Point 16242 west of Sararogha.

On Shakai – Kaniguram Axis, security forces entered into the important stronghold of terrorists, the town of LADHA. Intense fighting is taking place in streets. 10 terrorists have been killed.

Security forces are also securing surrounding ridges and heights. During search operation at Mingora Sar security forces recovered 6 drums magazines filled, 16 magazines all ypes, 3 grenades, 6 IEDs, 1 blasting machine, 1 pistol with ammunition, swords and knives.

On Razmak- Makeen Axis, security forces have completely secured the village of China and are consolidating their positions.

Huge cache of arms and ammunition discovered from different compounds and a number of IEDs have been neutralized. During engagements 4 terrorists have been killed and one soldier got injured.

During Operation Rah-e-Rast in Swat – Malakand, 24 suspects were apprehended from different areas of Swat during the last 24 hours and 2 terrorists have voluntarily surrendered.

Security forces apprehended a suspect (believed to be finance manager) of local terrorist group at Bakht-e-Man in village Jabrai and recovered Rs 815,500.00.

Security forces conducted search operation at Miandam and discovered 2 tunnels.

Op Rah-e-Nijat: Security forces advance into Ladha - GEO.tv
 
Army close to winding up first phase of operation
Thursday, 05 Nov, 2009

PESHAWAR: The Army is winding up the first phase of Operation Rah-i-Nijat by this weekend by capturing all major towns and villages in the Taliban heartland of South Waziristan, senior military officials said.

The lightning speed with which the military has been able to seize major towns and villages, taking over Sherwangi, Kotkai, Kaniguram and Sararogha and secure main supply routes in the embattled tribal region has taken many an analyst, and even some military planners, by surprise.

The security forces are already inside Makin from the Razmak access but the area is said to be infested with minefields and will take some time before it is declared safe.

In 20 days since the launch of the operation on the night of October 16, the military is now poised to march into Mehsuds’ regional headquarters of Laddah.

The fall of Laddah will mark the end of the first phase of the operation into the mountainous Mehsud territory.

This will mean a huge reversal for the militants who had over-run paramilitary security forces’ forts, beaten back two military operations in the past and turned South Waziristan into the epicentre and birthplace of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.


The second phase

The second phase that will include consolidation and clearance will take the military deeper into the Mehsud heartland, into valleys and small hamlets.

This phase will also be used to bring the political administration back into an area that hitherto was off-limit for them to make damage assessment and begin to take charge of the civil affairs.

Already, the military has begun repair work on the Shakai-Kaniguram road, while the administration has undertaken the reconstruction of Jandola-Sararogha road.

The roads have been in a shambles and no repair work could be undertaken in the area since it plunged into militancy and the state authority ceased to exist and exercise its control.

Work has also begun on restoring power transmission line, in the same speed with which the military moved in.

Officials in the Fata administration say they need Rs3.8 billion to carry out the early recovery and reconstruction work in the Mehsud territory, and a security official says Rs2.5 billion has already been placed at their disposal.

Fata administration officials say they plan to complete the major repair work, restore civic amenities and re-establish political administration in the embattled zone by April next year.

‘The Mehsuds usually migrate to Tank and Dera Ismail Khan to avoid harsh winter and return home after spring. So we have time between now and until then to complete civil and administrative work,’ a senior official in the Fata Secretariat said.

The fall of the Taliban heartland

But while the government moves in right earnest to restore its writ in the territory, there are speculations and questions galore as to what happened to the almost legendary and much-hyped Taliban resistance in the area.

Military officials now acknowledge that after putting up stiff resistance in the initial phase of the operation, the militants’ resolve to fend off attacks simply collapsed.

Not surprisingly, therefore, the military casualties have been minimal with 40 dead and 71 wounded, in what was widely billed as the mother of all battles.

Based on intercepts and other intelligence reports, the military puts the militants’ casualty figure at close to 500 dead and 786 wounded.

‘We have broken the myth of Taliban’s invincibility and we have also broken the myth that South Waziristan is a no-go area,’ a senior military officer said.

The fighting has been tough, at least in some areas, but several factors led to the military’s relatively smooth and trouble-free march into the territory.

Military officials offer various reasons for the near-successful operation so far. Chief among them was a replication of a Taliban tactic, military officials say.

The Taliban had fortified their positions and heavily mined the major access routes into South Waziristan, hoping the military, like the past, would push ahead through the main roads.

It didn’t happen. Instead, the military infantry walked through the mountains, taking over ridges and commanding features before moving down to enter a built-up area.


‘We have beaten them at their own tactic. This has been the classic Mehsud tactic, encircling and ambushing the enemy from the ridges and commanding features and we did the same to them. They were not prepared for this,’ one official commented.

The sheer preponderance of soldiers, unlike the past half-hearted limited-scale operations which were easily beaten, also seems to have overawed the Taliban, military officials say.

Air Action


But one of the most significant contributions perhaps, came from the Pakistan Air Force and Army’s Aviation Wing with its attack helicopters.


The PAF with advanced technology not only targeted the enemy positions with precision but also provided enhanced and high resolution images to the ground forces.

‘Necessity is the mother of all inventions,’ a senior security official remarked. ‘For nearly four months, the PAF worked hard to try and conform to our needs,’ the official said.

Video feed from its planes and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and their night capabilities to search and attack targets came as a big surprise to the Taliban fighters.

‘The Taliban assertion based on their knowledge of the local area that the night belongs to them suddenly became irrelevant. They are no longer able to mount night attacks,’ the official said.

As the incessant precision attacks hit the hardcore militants hard, the peripheral elements appeared to dither and fade away. Even the widely acclaimed tough Uzbek fighters are reported to have relocated to North Waziristan, security officials said.

What probably made the military’s job easier was the evacuation of Mehsud civilians to Tank and Dera Ismail Khan. Political administration officials say almost 99 per cent of the Mehsud population left the area due to three months of crippling economic blockade and impending military operation.

Another crucial factor was the decision by the Ahmadzai Wazir militant commander Maulvi Nazir in Wana and Hafiz Gul Bahadar to stay neutral and not join the fight.

‘It took us four months to shape up the environment for the military operation,’ the senior military official said.

The Taliban say they have made a tactical retreat to avoid civilian casualties, but officials maintain that a retreating enemy does not leave behind their ammunition and weapons.

‘When somebody retreats, he takes his weapon to fight another day. He does not flee and abandon his weapons. What has happened is that they have left behind huge cache of arms and ammunition.’

The third phase:

But challenges remain. The anticipated Mehsud uprising with the launch of the military operation against the Taliban has not come, largely due to past bitter experiences with half-hearted and half-backed operations.

‘To be honest, we didn’t expect them to rise against the militants so early in the operation. There is a trust deficit. They want to be sure that the military will not abandon like the past and we don’t want to push them,’ an official acknowledged.

But the political administration official in South Waziristan’s regional headquarters of Wana said the Mehsuds had begun showing signs of supporting the government against the Taliban.

‘We have assured them that the military will stay and the paramilitary force would return in addition to levy force to assuage their fears and give them a sense of security,’ he said.

The Mehsuds are weary that with the leadership intact, the Taliban may stage a comeback and make life difficult.

There is also a debate and consensus within official circles to relocate Mehsuds’ regional headquarters from Laddah to Makin.

Makin —a plain area and commercial hub of the Mehsuds —is close to Razmak, is easily defendable and sits on the Y-junction between Sararogha and Wana.

There is also a consensus to create more administrative tehsils to increase official presence and make the Mehsud territory more governable.

The divisive issue, however, is the bifurcation of South Waziristan into two separate administrative regions —the Wazir and Mehsud tribal regions.

Some officials argue that the construction of Gomal Zam Road to allow unhindered access to Ahmadzai Wazir, by-passing the Mehsud territory, and create a separate Wazir tribal agency would end Mehsuds’ nuisance value once and for all.

The Mehsuds have been opposed to such a drastic measure for obvious reasons. This will allow access to the Afghanistan via the Wazir territory for trade. Therefore, such a step now will create more acrimony than bring them back into the mainstream.


DAWN.COM | Provinces | Army close to winding up first phase of operation
 
Intense street battles as troops enter Ladha

* 30 Taliban killed as forces clear parts of Sararogha
* Troops seize arms, ammunition after securing China village

By Sajjad Malik

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Army on Wednesday laid siege to Ladha town during the ongoing operation in South Waziristan, on a day that saw fierce street battles with the Taliban.

“Security forces advanced into the terrorists’ stronghold, the town of Ladha, amidst heavy clashes and street-to-street fighting,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Athar Abbas said. He said the forces were engaged in intense fighting with terrorists and had so far killed at least 10 Taliban.

Clearing: The army also cleared major part of Sararogha, where they killed at least 16 Taliban. Seven soldiers were injured in the fighting. They also secured Prato Narai and Point 16242, west of Sararogha.

Recover: Consolidating their position after securing China village on the Razmak-Makeen axis, security forces recovered large caches of arms and ammunition from different compounds and neutralised a number of IEDs. They also killed four Taliban.
 

Its always sad seeing kids bearing the brunt of conflict in any war torn region. Kudos to doctor sahiba in the photo!:tup:

Do the lady doctors in the Pakistan AMC get a full service commision or only short service commisions? For how many years?

Cheers, Doc
 
Its always sad seeing kids bearing the brunt of conflict in any war torn region. Kudos to doctor sahiba in the photo!:tup:

Do the lady doctors in the Pakistan AMC get a full service commision or only short service commisions? For how many years?

Cheers, Doc

Full service commission.

"Rawalpindi: Selection board for promotion of Brigadiers to the rank of Major General for the year 2002 was held at the general headquarters here Friday.

The President and Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf presided and okayed the recommendations of the board.

These include Brigadier Mrs. Shahida Malik of the army Medical Corps who has achieved the distinction of becoming the first ever lady medical officer to rise to the rank of Major General in the history of Pakistan army.

A graduate from Fatima Jinnah Medical College class of 1969, Dr Shahida Malik became the first female Major General of the Pakistan Army on 17 June 2002. She assumed the position of Inspector General of some 31 Pakistan Army hospitals. "
 
EDITORIAL: Ignored victory in South Waziristan

On Tuesday the Pakistan army took control of Sararogha in South Waziristan, the nerve-centre of the operations launched by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) into the populated heart of the country. As the troops entered Sararogha and were carrying out search and clearance operations the rest of the country was busy witnessing the falling apart of the political order brought about by the 2008 general elections. But the success achieved by the Pakistan army is extremely significant in the context of what is expected to transpire in Pakistan in the coming days.

Sararogha was where the TTP Shura met and decided the targets the Taliban suicide bombers were going to hit. This is where the various branchline warlords streamlined their plans and the spokesmen of the TTP made important announcements about the crimes the TTP had committed in the name of their dubious sharia. The taking of Sararogha was important after the capture of the symbolic Kotkai, the home of the current leader of the TTP, Hakimullah. It is too soon to say if this latest victory is going to lead to the disintegration of the Taliban, but it will definitely relieve some pressure on such important cities as Bannu, which lie right next to Sararogha.

The final success of the operation will depend on the ability of the Pakistan army to prevent the expanding of the war front. The Taliban must be engaged within the territory controlled by Pakistan and the enemy must not be allowed to flee to areas where Pakistan army cannot pursue them. If the enemy were able to flee across the Durand Line and regroup on Afghan territory, the effectiveness of the operation would be halved, putting pressure on the paramilitary forces that the army will leave behind after ‘pacifying’ South Waziristan.

It is for this reason that Pakistan was upset earlier on when it saw that the US-NATO forces were seen to remove their border posts, which later was said by the Americans to be mere “readjustment”. Already a large part of Afghanistan is said to be the target of Taliban forays because the US-NATO forces do not control it or control it only temporarily. The Taliban strike not only in the heart of Kabul city but anywhere in the country at will, and even more freely in southeast Afghanistan, which is predominantly Pashtun territory. It is more or less known now that the Taliban on both sides of the border are acting under one shared command. Hence, the success of the Pakistani operation in South Waziristan will depend on how well the US-NATO forces are going to coordinate with the Pakistan army.

There is hardly any doubt about the importance of the South Waziristan operation in the eyes of the US and its allies. The view on the other side of the border is that men coming across from Pakistan carry out most acts of terrorism committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. For instance, the attack on the UN guesthouse was blamed on suicide-bombers that had come from Pakistan. Pakistan is often subliminally blamed for not guarding the border well enough, but the same charge could be made about the allied forces guarding the border on the other side.

President Barack Obama faces his own dilemmas on the subject of Afghan policy. Should he go for reconstruction or counter-terrorism? Since reconstruction is impossible without control, he has to beef up the ability of the allied troops in Afghanistan to handle the Taliban aggression. The US army chief in Afghanistan, General McChrystal says 40,000 more American troops are needed, but that balks the Pakistan army on other counts. The last time the Taliban came under pressure from the American troops they made a beeline for Pakistan. When the additional troops put pressure on the Taliban they will retreat into Pakistani territory for regrouping and in the process negate the success achieved in the Tribal Areas by the Pakistan army. Clearly, both sides are pointing to the same weaknesses that they actually share. The only way is to coordinate and tackle the menace jointly.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
 
OK .... and a full service commision is for 20 years?

Here every batch we have 25 girls ..... of them 5 are offered full service/permanent commision, and the remaining 20 are offered a short service commision of 5 years.

Punita Arora, first woman to don highest rank in Army

Saturday, August 28 2004 17:52 Hrs (IST)

New Delhi: General Punita Arora will become the first woman in the Indian Army to don the highest rank of Lt General when she takes over as Commandant of the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune next week.

Arora, who joined the Army Medical Corps as a doctor in 1968, has been approved to pick up the rank of Lt General next week, Army officials said.

Arora is presently Additional Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services and is a recipient of 15 medals in her long chequered career in battle fatigues.

Unlike other wings of the Armed forces where women can become only captains and majors due to a ten-year tenure ceiling under the Short Service Commission (SSC), those serving in the medical services can go up to retirement.

The Army Chief Gen N C Vij has recently indicated that moves were afoot to change the rules to extend the woman's career in battle fatigues up to 15 years.

PTI

She was my Gyn-Obs prof in college. Her son was with me, and her daughter was a batch junior.

Cheers, Doc
 
OK .... and a full service commision is for 20 years?

Here every batch we have 25 girls ..... of them 5 are offered full service/permanent commision, and the remaining 20 are offered a short service commision of 5 years.

Punita Arora, first woman to don highest rank in Army

Saturday, August 28 2004 17:52 Hrs (IST)

New Delhi: General Punita Arora will become the first woman in the Indian Army to don the highest rank of Lt General when she takes over as Commandant of the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune next week.

Arora, who joined the Army Medical Corps as a doctor in 1968, has been approved to pick up the rank of Lt General next week, Army officials said.

Arora is presently Additional Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services and is a recipient of 15 medals in her long chequered career in battle fatigues.

Unlike other wings of the Armed forces where women can become only captains and majors due to a ten-year tenure ceiling under the Short Service Commission (SSC), those serving in the medical services can go up to retirement.

The Army Chief Gen N C Vij has recently indicated that moves were afoot to change the rules to extend the woman's career in battle fatigues up to 15 years.

PTI

She was my Gyn-Obs prof in college. Her son was with me, and her daughter was a batch junior.

Cheers, Doc

We don't have a SSC program being run currently, as it is run when required. All the officers get a regular commission, in medical corps also, the criteria of retirement is considered on the service in the army on the rank being worn at that time.

In PAF i had heard of some contract thing being given to lady officers but for those who are in some specified arms, like administration kind of. More details may be provided by someone with better knowledge.
 
Army close to winding up first phase of operation

Thursday, 05 Nov, 2009

Pakistani soldiers observe from a mountain in the Sherwangi region of South Waziristan.


The fall of the Taliban heartland
But while the government moves in right earnest to restore its writ in the territory, there are speculations and questions galore as to what happened to the almost legendary and much-hyped Taliban resistance in the area.

Military officials now acknowledge that after putting up stiff resistance in the initial phase of the operation, the militants’ resolve to fend off attacks simply collapsed.

Not surprisingly, therefore, the military casualties have been minimal with 40 dead and 71 wounded, in what was widely billed as the mother of all battles.

Based on intercepts and other intelligence reports, the military puts the militants’ casualty figure at close to 500 dead and 786 wounded.

‘We have broken the myth of Taliban’s invincibility and we have also broken the myth that South Waziristan is a no-go area,’ a senior military officer said.

Military officials offer various reasons for the near-successful operation so far. Chief among them was a replication of a Taliban tactic, military officials say.

The Taliban had fortified their positions and heavily mined the major access routes into South Waziristan, hoping the military, like the past, would push ahead through the main roads.

It didn’t happen. Instead, the military infantry walked through the mountains, taking over ridges and commanding features before moving down to enter a built-up area.

‘We have beaten them at their own tactic. This has been the classic Mehsud tactic, encircling and ambushing the enemy from the ridges and commanding features and we did the same to them. They were not prepared for this,’ one official commented.

The sheer preponderance of soldiers, unlike the past half-hearted limited-scale operations which were easily beaten, also seems to have overawed the Taliban, military officials say.

Air Action
But one of the most significant contributions perhaps, came from the Pakistan Air Force and Army’s Aviation Wing with its attack helicopters.

The PAF with advanced technology not only targeted the enemy positions with precision but also provided enhanced and high resolution images to the ground forces.

‘Necessity is the mother of all inventions,’ a senior security official remarked. ‘For nearly four months, the PAF worked hard to try and conform to our needs,’ the official said.

Video feed from its planes and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and their night capabilities to search and attack targets came as a big surprise to the Taliban fighters.

‘The Taliban assertion based on their knowledge of the local area that the night belongs to them suddenly became irrelevant. They are no longer able to mount night attacks,’ the official said.

As the incessant precision attacks hit the hardcore militants hard, the peripheral elements appeared to dither and fade away. Even the widely acclaimed tough Uzbek fighters are reported to have relocated to North Waziristan, security officials said.

Just goes to show what happens when PA gets down to serious business.

I'm wondering how the PAF was able to acquire a night attack capability and high resolution aerial video imagery within four months. Could the Americans have helped us with that?
 
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