Operation Rah-e-Nijat (South Waziristan)

[TaimiKhan]

To me the name NWFP is more of a symbolic name chosen by one of our founding father Ch. Rehmat Ali in his pamphlet Now or Never in 1933. Of course people should have the right to choose the name of their own province but the fact that ANP has leaders, whose forefather Ghaffar Khan was one of the staunchest supporter of British India so much so that he was nicknamed "Frontier Gandhi", does make this thing seem like an unholy alliance. Just my 2 cents.

I believe at that time the name of Pukhtunkhwa did not existed, so the name of NWFP as put by the British was used in this document too.

I think there is no need to change the name, its going on for 60+ years since independence and before that also.

If someone has strong desire, Khyber would be a nice choice personally.

 

[Slides]

To me the name NWFP is more of a symbolic name chosen by one of our founding father Ch. Rehmat Ali in his pamphlet Now or Never in 1933. Of course people should have the right to choose the name of their own province but the fact that ANP has leaders, whose forefather Ghaffar Khan was one of the staunchest supporter of British India so much so that he was nicknamed "Frontier Gandhi", does make this thing seem like an unholy alliance. Just my 2 cents.

Wrong, British chose the so called named NWFP. Pukhtunkhwa is and will always be the name of the province, no matter what anybody else says.

 

[TaimiKhan]

Waziristan operation nearing end: Gilani


LAHORE: Pakistan has wrapped up its army offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan, but now may send its soldiers after militants in another part of the lawless tribal belt along the Afghan border, the prime minister said Saturday.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said troops may now move into the Orakzai tribal region, which lies further north.

That plan illustrates the intractable nature of the militant problem facing this nuclear-armed US ally.

Even as the army pounces on armed extremists in one part of the volatile northwest, they often melt away to other stretches of the rugged, barely governed territory.

'The operation has finished in South Waziristan, now there is a discussion of taking it to Orakzai agency,' Gilani told reporters in eastern city of Lahore.

'We are indeed alive in the most testing times. The retrogressive forces are adamant to stall the process of development,' Gilani said at an annual assembly for students of Government College University.

'Our government is committed to block their path and preserve a culture of peace and harmony in the country,' Gilani said, referring to extremists.

Pakistan's army launched a ground offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan in mid-October - a move that has led militants to carry out retaliatory bombings nationwide. The military still issues daily reports of its battlefield actions there, but it is clear that that the activity has slowed down.

Many militants are believed to have fled to other parts of the tribal belt, especially North Waziristan and Orakzai. The latter has been the home base for Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud.

In recent weeks, the military has launched several airstrikes against militant targets in Orakzai. Such airstrikes could be a prelude to a ground offensive, just as they were in South Waziristan.

Military officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the prime minister's statement.

The Prime Minister also said that evidence of Indian involvement in terrorist activities is limited to the Balochistan province. He added that if new evidence of involvement in other areas is found then the government will take up the matter with India. Commenting on the movement of American nationals in Pakistan, the Prime Minister said that no one is above the law.

Gilani also said that measures to build the capacity of law enforcement agencies will be instituted nationwide.

 

[TaimiKhan]

Al Qaeda denies killing civilians in Pakistan

CAIRO: Al Qaeda denied Saturday that it was behind a series of bombings in Pakistan that have killed hundreds of civilians, saying in a new English-language video that such attacks were un-Islamic.

US-born al Qaeda operative Adam Gadahn, who commonly delivers the organization's English messages, said the extremist network was being framed by the US and Pakistani intelligence services for the bloodshed.

'The perpetration of such deplorable acts and the pinning of responsibility for them on the mujahideen, only serves the enemies of Islam and Muslims, who are today staring defeat in the face,' he said, also blaming the media for implicating al Qaeda in the attacks.

'The mercenaries of the ISI, RAW, CIA or Blackwater are the real culprits behind these senseless and un-Islamic bombings,' he added.

RAW is the Indian intelligence agency, while Blackwater is the private security firm - now called Xe Services - whose involvement in the killings of Iraqi civilians have tarnished its reputation throughout the Muslim world.

More than 500 people have died in a slew of attacks in Pakistan that began in October, just as the Pakistani army started waging a ground offensive against the Taliban network in South Waziristan, a tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

A single truck bomb in the northwest city of Peshawar killed more than 100 people at a market that sells mostly women's clothes and children's toys. More recently, twin bombs at a similar market in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore killed nearly 50.

Militant groups such as al Qaeda and the Taliban that operate in Pakistan tend most often to attack security targets. They generally avoid claiming responsibility for assaults that kill a large number of civilians.

In a transcript of the video released by the SITE Intelligence Group, a Washington-based monitor of militant websites, Gadahn told Pakistanis their real enemies were secular regimes, corrupt police, judges and tribal nationalists.

In Pakistan, where conspiracy theories are rife, support for militancy has only recently taken a downturn, and anti-Americanism is widespread, Gadahn's message may have some resonance.

After the market blast in Peshawar, many Pakistanis expressed disbelief that Islamist groups could have attacked other Muslims in such a manner. And in some corners of the Pakistani media, Blackwater has increasingly been floated as a culprit in nefarious events.

Gadahn grew up in Los Angeles and then moved to Pakistan in 1998, according to the FBI. He is said to have attended an al Qaeda training camp six years later, serving as a translator and consultant for the group.

al Qaeda's media arm, al-Sahab, is increasingly using English-language videos to address Muslims in Pakistan who are unlikely to speak Arabic. Gadahn's message specifically addressed Muslims in south Asia, including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

 

[TaimiKhan]

Fifteen militants killed as troops target Kurram Agency

KURRAM: At least fifteen militants have been killed, including a key militant commander while several others have been injured during military operations in different areas of central Kurram Agency.

Three security personnel also lost their lives and eight others were injured.

According to officials, security forces started a massive operation in central Kurram and entered Marghan and Dogar areas of the agency. Troops are also advancing into other areas and are heavily targeting militant hideouts.

Security forces are facing severe resistance from militants and have destroyed four of their hideouts and recovered large amounts of ammunition and explosive materials.

Dozens of militants have so far been killed and arrested since the start of the operation in Kurram Agency.

 

[TaimiKhan]

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | At least 14 militants arrested in Khyber Agency


At least 14 militants arrested in Khyber Agency

KHYBER: At least 10 militants have been killed and 14 others arrested in Khyber Agency on Saturday.

Recovered cache of arms and ammunitions from Shalobar area of Bara Tehsil were also shown to the media. The weapons included Indian guns and explosives from China among others, according to a DawnNews report.

A large quantity of IEDS, anti-aircraft guns and jihadi literature were also recovered from the possession of militants and wwere shown to the media.

According to the FC officials, ten militants were killed while 87 others were arrested during the operation in Khyber Agency in the last 24 hours.

 

[FreekiN]

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN HAS BEEN CLEANED AND SWEEPED.
THEY ARE MOVING INTO ORAKZAI


Pakistan anti-Taliban offensive in S Waziristan 'over'
Pakistani army forces in South Waziristan, 26 Nov 2009
Pakistan's military began its offensive in South Waziristan in mid-October

Pakistan's prime minister has said its military has completed an offensive against the Taliban in the tribal region of South Waziristan.

Yousuf Raza Gilani told reporters in Lahore the operation might now move north to the Orakzai region, where many militants are thought to have fled.

The Pakistani army has not yet commented on Mr Gilani's remarks.

However, correspondents say Mr Gilani's words do not mean the army is pulling out of South Waziristan.

Military sources have told the BBC that the army is still facing pockets of resistance there.

The Pakistani military launched its offensive in South Waziristan, in the tribal area bordering Afghanistan, in mid-October.

Air strikes

"The operation in South Waziristan is over. Now there are talks about Orakzai," Mr Gilani told reporters in televised remarks on Saturday.

The BBC's Orla Guerin in Islamabad says the prime minister did not elaborate on the scale of any possible offensive in Orakzai, also in the lawless tribal belt.

The military operation in South Waziristan was the biggest in years, our correspondent says, with 30,000 troops sent into battle.

The army has managed to drive many militants from their main bases but their leaders have not been arrested and are thought to have escaped into other areas.

Hundreds of people have been killed in revenge attacks around Pakistan, she adds.

A number of air strikes have targeted militant targets in Orakzai in recent weeks.

The United Nations says more than 40,000 civilians have left their homes in Orakzai and are in need of humanitarian assistance.

BBC News - Pakistan anti-Taliban offensive in S Waziristan 'over'

 

[TaimiKhan]

How teenagers were lured by Taliban


PESHAWAR: An artificial paradise (Jannat) established by terrorists for brainwashing would-be suicide bombers has been captured by security forces in South Waziristan Agency.

The ‘Jannat’ in the Nawaz Kot area was shown to a visiting team of Peshawar-based journalists by ISPR authorities.

The journalists, who were taken to the place in a helicopter on Friday morning, took a round of the so-called paradise and later were briefed about the modus operandi for churning out suicide bombers.

The make-believe heaven consisted of four rooms. Each room contained exquisite paintings of lakes overflowing with milk and honey and scenic valleys inhabited by ‘hoors’ (beautiful women).

Religious teachers in the training centre used to show would-be bombers around and dupe them into believing that after their death in suicide attacks their stature would be equal to Sahaba-i-Karaam and that they would enjoy the company of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The term ‘Sahaba-i-Karaam’ refers to close associates of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Boys aged between 12 and 18 were trained to become suicide bombers under the supervision of Hakimullah Mehsud.

The TTP chief would keep hammering away at ‘an unending bliss awaiting you in Jannat dotted with lakes of milk and honey’, said Major Saleem in a briefing for journalists.

He told journalists the building also had a ‘slaughterhouse’ for killing kidnapped security officials. A huge cache of arms and ammunition was seized from there.

In reply to a question, Major Saleem said the security forces faced tough resistance before capturing the militant stronghold. Two bombers and their trainers were taken into custody.

The troops came upon a significant quantity of hashish and compact discs after they set about securing the building. Books and magazines in Arabic, Pushto and Uzbek languages were strewn all over the place.

Later the visiting journalists were taken to Makin and Ziarsar area of Spin Kamar.

Colonel Asif Mehmud, the operation commander, told the journalists that Makin was believed to be the hub of Taliban and the forces overcame stiff resistance before its fall.

Makin harboured a training centre that was run by Baitullah Mehsud when he used to live nearby in the house of his uncle. The forces had taken all hilltops and purged the area of militants, Colonel Mehmud said.

Anti-tank mines, rockets, missiles and other weapons of foreign make were shown to the visiting journalists.—APP

 

[SMC]

They (PA and PAF) should waste no time in going after the thugs in the other FATA agencies that they ran to. Leaving it for later would again give them time to run away to elsewhere.

 

[ajpirzada]

Shakai, Jandola, Razmak re-linked to Dawatoi
Updated at: 2343 PST, Saturday, December 12, 2009

RAWALPINDI: Shakai, Jandola and Razmak have successfully linked up at Dawatoi during operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan.

Meanwhile, Security forces conducted search operation in Sambat, Matta and Tiligram and killed three terrorists in operation Rah-e-Rast in Malakand division.

According to the ISPR, army carried out sanitization of Zir Kach Dunca near Kot Raghazai and recovered substantial arms and ammunition in Shakia Sector, while three caves were destroyed in Badar Toi Nullah.

On the Razmak Sector, cache of arms and ammunitions was recovered near Saidullah post and eleven IEDs were being defused.

Moreover, military carried out sanitization of Dawatoi and cleared fifty compounds. A terrorists headquarter was also destroyed.

A chart having pictures of terrorists commanders, suicide bombers, Afghan currencies worth 1.65 million and a huge cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered from Dawatoi region.

In the meantime, forces carried out domination near area Pash Ziarat and cleared nine compounds and destroyed three bunkers.

As per ISPR details, six suspects were apprehended during operation Rah-e-Rast near Mingora, Dargai Check post, Malikpur and Tangi Bridge while five terrorists voluntarily surrendered themselves to security forces at Nagwa, Doga and Maniari.

Shakai, Jandola, Razmak re-linked to Dawatoi - GEO.tv

 

[fatman17]

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN HAS BEEN CLEANED AND SWEEPED.
THEY ARE MOVING INTO ORAKZAI


Pakistan anti-Taliban offensive in S Waziristan 'over'
Pakistani army forces in South Waziristan, 26 Nov 2009
Pakistan's military began its offensive in South Waziristan in mid-October

Pakistan's prime minister has said its military has completed an offensive against the Taliban in the tribal region of South Waziristan.

Yousuf Raza Gilani told reporters in Lahore the operation might now move north to the Orakzai region, where many militants are thought to have fled.

The Pakistani army has not yet commented on Mr Gilani's remarks.

However, correspondents say Mr Gilani's words do not mean the army is pulling out of South Waziristan.

Military sources have told the BBC that the army is still facing pockets of resistance there.

The Pakistani military launched its offensive in South Waziristan, in the tribal area bordering Afghanistan, in mid-October.

Air strikes

"The operation in South Waziristan is over. Now there are talks about Orakzai," Mr Gilani told reporters in televised remarks on Saturday.

The BBC's Orla Guerin in Islamabad says the prime minister did not elaborate on the scale of any possible offensive in Orakzai, also in the lawless tribal belt.

The military operation in South Waziristan was the biggest in years, our correspondent says, with 30,000 troops sent into battle.

The army has managed to drive many militants from their main bases but their leaders have not been arrested and are thought to have escaped into other areas.

Hundreds of people have been killed in revenge attacks around Pakistan, she adds.

A number of air strikes have targeted militant targets in Orakzai in recent weeks.

The United Nations says more than 40,000 civilians have left their homes in Orakzai and are in need of humanitarian assistance.

BBC News - Pakistan anti-Taliban offensive in S Waziristan 'over'

Orakzai, Khurram and Khyber in that priority - remember in these agencies thay dont have the infrastructure, equipment and hideouts like they had in SWA. they are running in small 'bands'. the winter will restrict full ops till spring-time unfortunately!

 

[waraich66]

Orakzai, Khurram and Khyber in that priority - remember in these agencies thay dont have the infrastructure, equipment and hideouts like they had in SWA. they are running in small 'bands'. the winter will restrict full ops till spring-time unfortunately!

Two days , two statements of PM , both are contradictory .

It means that PM is taking dictation or not well informed ??????

 

[faisji]

Orakzai, Khurram and Khyber in that priority - remember in these agencies thay dont have the infrastructure, equipment and hideouts like they had in SWA. they are running in small 'bands'. the winter will restrict full ops till spring-time unfortunately!

They coulduse airforce and army aviation to keep them off balance throughout winter not giving them a chance to settle and recoup.Also
i am think SSG.

 

[TaimiKhan]

Orakzai, Khurram and Khyber in that priority - remember in these agencies thay dont have the infrastructure, equipment and hideouts like they had in SWA. they are running in small 'bands'. the winter will restrict full ops till spring-time unfortunately!

Well Sir, Khyber is already seeing a comprehensive operation for a month now, especially Bara Tehsil. And most of their infrastructure has been destroyed and they have pushed towards the mountains joining Orakzai and Kurram agency borders.

Orakzai and Kurram are the real deal now. If SF gets a strong foothold in these areas, with SWA cleared and SF presence and hunting them down these continues, these guys will have very limited options left with them and their ability to fight will be reduced to the lowest. Main thing is not to allow them to make any stronghold like SW again, if we succeed in doing that, we may be seeing the winning trophy go our way.

 

[fatman17]

Two days , two statements of PM , both are contradictory .

It means that PM is taking dictation or not well informed ??????[/QUOTE]

bit of both - usually our politicians have 'foot in mouth disease'.