Operation Rah-e-Nijat (South Waziristan)

[Javed3]

iPhone

YES I am burning inside out; but for entirely different reasons:

1. That our beloved Pakistan Army, a proud national asset is being misused fighting a foreign “war” on its own territory.
2. That it is being misused as a surrogate to the US forces like the ARVN.
3. That our national sovereignty has been essentially forfeited to a foreign power that is not even formally occupying us; but we insist on behaving like an occupied country.
4. That Army was misused in similar “anti terror” operations in former East Pakistan (1971), Baluchistan (1973), Sind (1984), Karachi (1992) and FATA (2001-Now). Each operation essentially poured more fuel on the fire.
5. Our military commanders trained to defend national airspace and boundaries against aggression are actually aiding and abetting drone strikes over Pakistani territory by the US; and feeling great about it.
6. Pointless and Immature cheerleading by brothers like yourself over a self perpetuating national disaster.

 

[Javed3]

Abu Zolfiqar

“”For the record, the Army is mainly going after foreigner militants --especially Uzbeks/Afghan/Arabs. If you follow the news, then you will know that in the past 48 hours over 20 foreigner terrorists were killed and roughly 90 were arrested in different Provinces””.

By the way how did these Arabs and Uzbeks end up settling in South Waziristan? They came here with the full consent and knowledge of our government busy fighting Afghan “Jehad’ as US allies in the 80’s.

Afghans belong to the tribes settled on both sides of the Durand Line, and have the right of free movement under a special status deal concluded by the father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam in 1947.

These foreigners called Pakistan their home, essentially in the same way as millions of Indian Muslims migrated to Pakistan, settled here and became an integral part of the nation. The unique makeup of our society does not subscribe to narrow minded definition of the “son of the soil”.

“Foreigner” and ‘son of the soil” debate has in the past been articulated by honorable Nationalist leaders in NWFP, Baluchistan and Sind to devastating effect. We have to rise above this petty mindedness. Today, an honorable citizen of the UK leads the largest middle class political party in Pakistan, key member of the ruling alliance.

By definition anybody who calls Pakistan home is a Pakistani.

 

[S-2]

From the desk of the NYT-

Pakistan Army Captures Taliban Stronghold-NYT

 

[fatman17]

By definition anybody who calls Pakistan home is a Pakistani.

wait! oh my ribs!

 

[fatman17]

Taking terrority is easy, given the overwhelming conventional superiority of the Pakistan Army. But will the PA be able to effectively hold on to that territory!!

The British faced this dilema - they could take territory but could never hold on to it. Given the terrain, people and the situation in these areas i dont think that the PA will succeed where the Brits failed.

they will - they are in Swat - the key is rehab, repatriate and re-construct - job opportunities - this is where the civilian govt comes in and this is the tricky part.

once major ops are over - the army will remain in the areas as a permanent feature.

 

[LT OSAMA]

well jus chck ot that pak army hav launched operation frm 3 sides in S.wazirstan nd usa nd nato have left their check posts frm afghan border????.....

 

[PakShaheen79]

Pakistan army claims more advances in offensive
ISLAMABAD – The army claimed to be advancing on a main Pakistani Taliban stronghold along the Afghan border Sunday, a day after capturing the hometown of the militant group's chief and sending insurgents there fleeing into the nearby mountains.

The militants in the rugged, lawless South Waziristan tribal region continued to attack troops with rockets, an army statement said, while in northeastern Pakistan a suicide bomber killed a police officer on a highway south of the capital.

Taliban militants have carried out a string of attacks across the country in response to the air and ground offensive. Washington has encouraged the operation in the northwest because many militants there are believed to shelter al-Qaida leaders and be involved in attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan.

The army announced Saturday the capture of Kotkai, the hometown of Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud and one of his top deputies, Qari Hussain.

The town lies on the way to the major militant base of Sararogha, and the army statement Sunday said troops had captured two key fronts between Kotkai and the base. The statement said troops secured at least one other important front and fought 16 hours to capture a significant mountaintop.

Terrorists have fled Kotkai and are sporadically attacking troops with rockets from distant heights, the statement said.

The most recent fighting in the region killed 15 militants and one soldier, the statement said. Independent verification of such reports is nearly impossible because the military has blocked access to South Waziristan.

The majority of homes in Kotkai had been converted into "strong bunkers," and it was home to a training camp for suicide bombers, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told reporters. Troops had begun ridding it of land mines and roadside bombs.

"Thank God, this is the army's very big success," Abbas said. "The good news is that (communications) intercepts show that there are differences forging among the Taliban ranks. Their aides are deserting them."

Abbas said some of the fleeing Taliban have shaved their beards and cut their hair to try to blend in with the civilian population. Taliban spokesmen could not be reached for comment.

Some 200 people have been killed in militant attacks across Pakistan this month.

In the latest attack Sunday, a suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives on the highway near Jhelum city, some 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Islamabad, police official Waseem Kausar said.

He said the car was stopped by police, and one man fled and was caught while the other detonated the bomb, killing a patrol officer. The man now in custody told police they had planned to detonate the bomb in Lahore, Kausar said, without giving details of a specific target.

The eastern city of Lahore, Pakistan's second largest city, has been a scene of commando-style attacks by the Taliban in recent months, including on law enforcement agencies.

The U.N. says some 155,000 civilians have fled South Waziristan. In Dera Ismail Khan, a nearby town where many of those fleeing have congregated, they reacted to the news of Kotkai's capture with suspicion.

"They are making tall claims of conquering Waziristan in a few weeks, but we think this is not doable even in five to six years," said Azam Khan Mehsud, who hails from the Makeen area.

The army has deployed some 30,000 troops to South Waziristan to take on an estimated 12,000 militants, including up to 1,500 foreign fighters, among them Uzbeks and Arabs.

Meanwhile, the army statement said six soldiers died in an army helicopter crash Saturday in the Bajur tribal region.
Pakistan army claims more advances in offensive - Yahoo! News

 

[air marshal]

Security forces secure more area in SWA after intense engagements

ISLAMABAD, Oct 25 (APP): After intense engagements, security forces on Sunday have secured the significant mountain top of Tarkona Narai after an effort lasting 16 hours and also progressed well on Jandola-Sararogha Axis securing important ridges in South Waziristan Agency (SWA).According to ISPR, 15 terrorists were killed during security forces operation Rah-e-Nijat in SWA in the last 24 hours. Security forces losses are one soldier shaheed and three injured.Details of operations are as:

On Jandola - Sararogha Axis

After securing Kotkai Town, security forces advancing further have secured important ridge, point 1125 north of Shishwam and also secured an important feature one Km west of Gharlai which is 2 Kms north of Kotkai. Terrorists have fled from the area and are firing sporadic rockets at positions of security forces from distant heights.

On the western side of Axis security forces secured forward ridges of Kaskai 3 Kms north west of Kotkai.

On Shakai - Kaniguram Axis

The battle to secure Tarkona Narai the highest feature on important Junction east of Sherwangi commenced yesterday finally achieved success and has been completely secured. The mountain top had 4 strong points and series of bunkers. Besides killing 4 terrorists on the mountain top itself, a fleeing terrorists vehicle carrying 8 terrorists was engaged and destroyed, killing all 8 terrorists. During this operation 1 Non Commissioned Officer embraced shahadat and 3 soldiers injured.

During search of a compound in area south west of Sherwangi 3 terrorists were killed and 1 x 12.7 mm gun, 8 rockets, 18 x 60 mm mortar bombs and 8 x 82 mm mortar bombs have been recovered.

As far as the Operation Rah-e-Rast in Swat and Malakand is concerned, 6 terrorists voluntarily surrendered to security forces at Pushtanai, and Derai.

Security forces conducted search operation at Sakrano Khwar near Shalpin, Mangaltan and apprehended 5 suspects.

On a tip off, security forces apprehended a wanted suicide bomber from village Kuz Durshkhela near Khawazakhela.

In Bajaur, at about 1745 hours on Saturday, MI-17 Helicopter while on dumping mission crash landed due to technical fault at Nawapass. Resultantly 6 soldiers (3 of Aviation and 3 of FC) embraced shahadat. Pilots of the helicopter were injured in the crash. Both are safe and out of danger.

Relief Activities in DI Khan and Tank, 299 ton of mix rations from Army have been distributed amongst IDPs of D I Khan while 10 trucks carrying 50 tons mix rations have been distributed in Wana.

In all 6,541 cash cards have been distributed amongst the displaced families of SWA.

 

[S-2]

So? Look at a map and tell me where the Mehsud tribe is located? A looooong way from the border. Who's between the Mehsuds and the border? Wazirs? Maulvi Nazir's wazir militias?

Do they like attacking NATO? Yup. So leaving the border hurts...or helps that? Do afghan taliban going to the mehsud aid fight their way, btw, through wazir land to get there? I'd think so unless Nazir is working both sides against the middle. Is Nazir letting afghan taliban come to the aid of the mehsuds?

I doubt it. I HIGHLY doubt it. Don't you?

McChrystal's stated intent, LAST August was to slowly draw down our presence. How many posts have been reputedly vacated? Eight? Out of how many total, 150+?

Oh wow! Such an IMPACT.

This is a massive red herring for the internal consumption of you gullible and malinformed loons.

That is all. Dismissed...

Sincerely,

S-2

Thanks.

 

[air marshal]

 

[Beskar]

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

On check-posts:

"To a question about reports of the US vacating checkposts along the Pak-Afghan border and its possible fallout in the Pakistani area, Abbas said the reports were being verified and if confirmed the matter would be taken up at the appropriate level and the reasons for withdrawal would be sought."

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

The PA is obviously not too concerned, so lets drop this issue for now.

 

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

The PA is obviously not too concerned, so lets drop this issue for now.

Why . What did we exchanged this time ....

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Why . What did we exchanged this time ....

Nothing was 'exchanged' AFAIK - the reasone for not being unduly concerned have already been pointed out by S-2, Parihaka, Ratus Ratus - check out their posts on the thread on the abandonment of the posts.

I think some Pakistanis need to actually analyze the rationale offered in defense of US policies, how it actually impacts Pakistan, and leave open the possibility that the rationale offered by non-Pakistanis may in fact be valid, instead of the knee-jerk reactions and 'conspiracy theories' we see sometimes.

One would hope non-Pakistanis do the same when analyzing the Pakistani rationale offered for various policies.

 

[kidwaibhai]

A very nice article from a person who actually knows something about waziristan. Explains why predictions of western and Pakistani analyst who a oppose the operation are just plain and simple wrong

Imperatives of the Waziristan operation
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Monday, October 26, 2009
Farhat Taj

This is primarily in response to Roedad Khan’s piece of Oct 21 titled “Forgotten lessons of history.” Mr Khan has misrepresented the history and current realities of Waziristan. True, there was a resistance movement in Waziristan against the British army in the past but surely the Pakistan army right now is not a colonial army trying to occupy Waziristan.

The relationship between Pakistan and the Waziristan tribes is different from what it was with the British: the tribes now accept the reality that the region is an integral part of Pakistan. In fact, that it has been their constant complaint for the past several decades that they wanted greater integration into the mainstream so as to benefit from increased socio-economic development. I would go as far to suggest that it is only the mostly-Islamabad-based armchair analysts who are questioning the ongoing military operation in Waziristan because, by and large, the people of the region understand that there is a real danger to them and to the country from the Taliban and Al Qaeda. What they also say is that till now the state had not been serious in standing up to the extremists which have gained a solid foothold in the region and in that regard the operation is seen to bring some element of hope.

As far as the displacement of the people of the two agencies is concerned, that began well before the current military operation. While no definitive statistics are available to indicate any definitive conclusion on the issue, there is enough anecdotal evidence to strongly suggest that many of the financially better-off people of the region had already migrated from their homes some time back. Most of the people who are moving now – or who have moved in the recent past – are those who did not have the means to have migrated earlier. Many of those who left in the past did so because of the barbarism of the Taliban and their allies in Al Qaeda and the inability of the state to protect their lives and properties. Those who are moving now, in the wake of the ongoing military operation, lived a life of pure survival where they did not oppose – for obvious reasons – the extremists who had gained control over the region.

Some armchair intellectuals and analysts propagate the view that the militants and extremists are a kind of a tribal resistance to the Pakistan army, which they see as now fighting America’s war. Nothing can be farther from the truth. For the record, the Taliban and Al Qaeda have never claimed to represent tribal society or stand up for Pakhtun nationalism. Their aim to further a global ideology which in their view should transcend all geographical borders and ethnicities – and that explains why those inclined towards this kind of worldview have come to Waziristan for training from all over the world.

No wonder one finds, apart from the indigenous Pakhtuns of course, Arabs, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Africans, Punjabis and even people from European countries in Waziristan. And this is not because the people of Waziristan love them but because the state of Pakistan had till now surrendered its writ in the area. The militants have waged a war against the two most important pillars of tribal society: the jirga or tribal council and the lashkar, or a tribal volunteer army. Hundreds of tribal elders have been target-killed and tribal society has ceased to function in Waziristan.

Now, moving on to another point raised by Roedad Khan, in his article, which was to compare the Faqir of Ipi with the Taliban leadership based in Waziristan. This is akin to an insult to the Faqir because, unlike the Taliban commanders, he was fighting for the land and for the people of Waziristan – and he was fighting a colonial power. He did not make grand claims in terms of spreading a religious ideology globally and he never killed or targeted any local people. He never banned the tribal jirga – rather, his struggle was endorsed by the jirgas. Also, he never banned music, dance or any other local custom. Furthermore, he and his men never attacked women and children and did not do anything to places of worship.

Resistance to colonial rule is just one aspect of the history of Waziristan. The other aspect is that there was a working relationship with the British masters for much of the time, and that should not be difficult to understand. Society in the region is like any other and so it responds differently to different circumstances. Many sub-tribes of Waziristan entered into smooth working relationship with the British after the they established colonial rule over the area through the office of political agent.

What is somewhat surprising about the occupation of Waziristan by militants and extremists is perhaps the silence of the educated people of the area. The educated from the Wazir, Mehsud, Dawar and Bhittani tribes are all well-integrated into the state structure and hold high-ranking positions both in civil and military bureaucracy of Pakistan, but one hasn’t come across too many of them speaking up for their land. This is remarkably dissimilar to what happened in the case of Swat where the arrival of the Taliban and their eventual control of the valley resulted in a national outpouring of protest and resentment from many Swatis.

To a greater extent, Swat is now free of Taliban control. The educated people of Swat, both in Pakistan and abroad, share a credit for that. Every educated Swati did whatever he or she could to inform the world about the Taliban atrocities in their hometown. I wonder why the educated people of Waziristan have been silent for years. What good is their education for? By keeping silent they are behaving like enemies of Waziristan rather than brave sons and daughters of the land. It is true that the educated families of Waziristan have also suffered due to the target killing in the area. But that does not mean they resign themselves to the adverse circumstances. They must now stand up and make alliances with like minded people all over Pakistan to stop the military from engaging in any more dubious peace deals with the terrorists and make sure that the operation Rah-e-Nijat is taken to its logical end—the complete elimination of the terrorists.

There are Pakistani and foreign terrorists in Waziristan running an Islamist Emirate there. The Pakistanis are mostly Pakhtun and Punjabis. The army must treat them as dangerous criminals. The foreigners are stateless Uzbeks, Arabs, Africans, Afghans, Chechens, Tajiks and even Muslim immigrants from Europe. If deported, they would mostly likely be killed in many of their countries of origin. Waziristan is the only place in the world where they could freely rule. They are not going to surrender their rule easily. For them it is do or die. They will give a very tough fight to the army. But the army must keep fighting them, no matter what, because the alternative is disaster.

The writer is a research fellow at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Research, University of Oslo, and a member of Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy. Email: bergen34@yahoo.com

Imperatives of the Waziristan operation