Operation Rah-e-Nijat

[fatman17]

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

No more organised resistance in Swat: ISPR DG

* Camps being set up to accommodate South Waziristan IDPs
* Besides hunting down remaining terrorists, army is focusing on protecting people
* Swat Taliban mainly led by local commanders, only 10 percent of them foreigners or from Tribal Areas

ISLAMABAD: Organised resistance in Swat and its adjacent areas has come to an end and the remaining militants are on the run, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Athar Abbas said on Monday.

Talking to Radio Pakistan, he said the Swat operation was the best example of civil-military cooperation as the people had helped security forces hunt down terrorists.

The ISPR chief said Swat Taliban were mainly led by local commanders, adding that only 10 percent of them were foreigners or from FATA.

Abbas said the Pakistan Army would remain in Swat until law enforcement agencies’ capabilities improved enough to allow them to take on the responsibility.

To a question about alleged human rights violations in Swat, Abbas said the civil administration and army officials had probed the matter, but found no violations.

Besides hunting down the remaining terrorists, the army was focusing on protecting the people of the area, he said.

To a question about the funding and backing of the terrorists, he said they had multiple sources of funding. Besides, these people raised funds by kidnapping for ransom, imposing taxes, and through extortion.

He said the Swat Taliban were mainly led by local commanders and only 10 percent of them were foreigners or from Tribal Areas.

When asked about propaganda by certain quarters about human rights violations in Swat, the DG ISPR said the civil administration and army officers posted in the area have looked into the allegations, but found no violations.

Talking about operation in Khyber, he said the operation was launched because the criminal elements and terrorists were gathering there and carrying out activities in Peshawar and its suburban areas.

To a question about operation in Waziristan, he said the army is focusing on the operation under a well thought out strategy.

The strategy has been formulated by keeping the capability of the terrorists in view. It is not necessary to launch ground offensive at the outset, he added.

He said some fifty thousand people have been displaced from Waziristan and camps are being set up for their relief.

app

 

[fatman17]

Over 100,000 people displaced by Waziristan operation: UN

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations on Friday said it was providing assistance to more than 100,000 people displaced by the military operation in Waziristan. Citing Pakistani authorities, a UN press release said over 128,000 people uprooted from Waziristan had been registered, while thousands more, whose places of origin have yet to be verified, still remained. Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Commissionerate on Afghan Refugees (CAR) this week visited the camp in Jalozai, south of Peshawar, to identify shortcomings in the areas of water and sanitation. The team also found that there was a shortage of firewood for cooking. In Buner district of the NWFP, the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) wrapped up its first rapid assessment of shelter and other needs in the village of Sultanwas.

app

 

[wild peace]

Over 100,000 people displaced by Waziristan operation: UN

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations on Friday said it was providing assistance to more than 100,000 people displaced by the military operation in Waziristan. Citing Pakistani authorities, a UN press release said over 128,000 people uprooted from Waziristan had been registered, while thousands more, whose places of origin have yet to be verified, still remained. Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Commissionerate on Afghan Refugees (CAR) this week visited the camp in Jalozai, south of Peshawar, to identify shortcomings in the areas of water and sanitation. The team also found that there was a shortage of firewood for cooking. In Buner district of the NWFP, the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) wrapped up its first rapid assessment of shelter and other needs in the village of Sultanwas.

app

Proofs How they killed pakistan miltiary person.

Please dont see this if you feel any violence

http://pakalert.files.wordpress.com/...pg?w=500&h=400

http://pakalert.files.wordpress.com/...pg?w=500&h=400

shaheeh ka lohu kabhi raghian nahee jata

sad seens

 

[TalibanSwatter]

DAWN

On August 5 when a US drone fired a missile at a house in South Waziristan, my source in the Taliban-infested area informed me that TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud had been killed instantly.

The missile strike took out its prized target but also set off rumours — some that he had been killed and others, attributed mainly to the Taliban, that he had not been eliminated — until his successor was announced.

However, there were others who were worried about the Taliban phenomenon with regard to the growing differences among the jihadists. Who would replace Baitullah? What would be their future course of action? There were many contenders: Qari Hussain, Hakimullah, Maulana Waliur Rehman, Noor Saeed, Azmatullah and Raees Khan.

The choice was really hard for the Taliban. Tribal affinities and the Salafi factor were at the centre of post-Baitullah power politics in Waziristan, which prevented the 43-member Taliban shura from naming a new chief. The delay also showed that Baitullah had never nominated a successor.

The top three contenders Hakimullah, Qari Hussain and Azam Tariq belong to the Balolzai branch of the Mehsud tribe, whereas Maulana Waliur Rehman, Azmatullah and Noor Saeed come from the Manzai branch. Historically, the Manzai sub-tribe has been in the forefront of power politics in Mehsud territory and has provided both manpower and leadership to the Taliban.

The Manzai finally lost to the Balolzai when it came to the TTP succession. Hakimullah sidelined the rest and the Taliban shura was left with no option but to choose between him and Maulana Waliur Rehman. They crowned Hakimullah, while Maulana Waliur Rehman was made ameer of South Waziristan. Azam Tariq was nominated as spokesman.

Will it be possible for the TTP to sustain its mainstream leadership in Waziristan? Or will the Salafi school stake its claim? The influence of the militant Ashaat Tauheed wa Sunnah, JUI-F and the outlawed Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan is also a factor.

The Taliban have deep-rooted differences: Faqir Mohammad, TTP chief in Bajaur, had earlier announced that Hakimullah would be the new leader whereas NWFP MP Mufti Kifayatullah of the JUI-F told the media that Maulana Waliur Rehman had been nominated TTP chief.

The Taliban in Khyber Agency, Bajaur, Orakzai and Swat are influenced by the Salafi (Panj Piri) school of thought. In Orakzai Agency, where the Taliban have challenged Shia militants on their turf, the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi has swelled the ranks of the TTP giving it a sectarian overtone, which is why Azam Tariq, with clear affiliations to the sectarian outfit, has been appointed as TTP’s central spokesman. The Salafi movement has overshadowed the Taliban from Swat to Orakzai except for Waziristan where the JUI-F is still calling the shots.What is the picture that emerges?

Baitullah Mehsud, Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Maulvi Nazir had, in March 2009, formed a 13-member council called Shura-i-Ittihadul Mujahideen. The shura received a death-blow on August 15 when 17 associates of Maulvi Nazir and Gul Bahadur were gunned down in the Mehsud-dominated Salae Roghae area of the Ladha sub-division. The Nazir group later demanded that the Baitullah group hand over eight men, including Uzbeks and Mehsuds, to it for their complicity. Thus the Shura-i-Ittihadul Mujahideen fell apart.

Room to breathe for the Hakimullah-led TTP has considerably lessened with the presence of the Abdullah group in the Mehsud area, Turkistan Bitani in the FR Tank area, Maulvi Nazir in the Wazir-dominated area and Hafiz Gul Bahadar in North Waziristan.

Another predicament for the TTP is a new government strategy. As the NWFP governor announced in June that a tribal jirga had failed to deliver, the political administration pressed tribal elders to form lashkars against the Taliban. The political administration with the help of intelligence agencies picked up tribesmen from as far off as Karachi using the collective responsibility clause of the FCR to tell them ‘either you are with us or against us’.

They were also told they could either financially support the raising of a lashkar or participate in one and that, in keeping with tribal custom, a third party would take responsibility for the ‘damage’. The government already has links with the Abdullah Mehsud group — comprising mainly the Shamenkhel tribe and aided by the Balolzai Mehsud — in this regard. An official, seeking anonymity, said that the groundwork for the lashkars had been laid and that the two main ones would start their onslaught after Eid — one mobilised in the vicinity of the border town of Makin which is a Baitullah stronghold and the other near Kotkai, both in South Waziristan.

Both are important. Kotkai is the gateway to South Waziristan from the eastern side. Makin is important as in its north is the Razmak fort with heavy military deployment. It seems that this time the lashkar will work as it did in the Wazir-dominated area of South Waziristan under the leadership of Maulvi Nazir to flush out Uzbeks in March 2007.

From the Tiarza fort side, towards the south of the tribal agency, the already strained relations of the Nazir group with the TTP might prove of great help in checking the trickle of the TTP men towards the southern parts. The heavy military presence in Wana, Shakkai and Tannai fort will further choke the Taliban. As per the new strategy, the TTP may find it difficult to slug it out. Nevertheless it is the ordinary folk of Waziristan who will suffer most.

The writer is a Peshawar-based journalist.

 

[Xeric]

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Army to start operation in Waziristan: ISPR

Army to start operation in Waziristan: ISPR

Monday, 14 Sep, 2009 | 10:49 PM PST |

ISLAMABAD: Director General ISPR Major General Athar Abbas said the government had directed military forces to start their operation in Waziristan and the forces were looking for a suitable time to launch the operation.

In an interview with BBC radio here on Monday, Major General Athar Abbas said the war against terrorist is an unconventional one and its results also differ from a conventional war.

He said that people of the area are satisfied with the military operation and the army has full support of the locals and they also inform the security forces about miscreants in the area.

Athar Abbas said ground realities are being kept in mind while formulating the operational strategy. He said that the strategy would differ for Waziristan because there were foreign terrorist in the area.—Online

 

[PakShaheen79]

That is indeed a good news. SWA is root of these thugs... But i want to say one thing PA must capture some big fish alive. It will really beneficial to unearth the route of weapon and money supply to these terrorists.

 

[ejaz007]

Taliban create new stronghold; forces zeroing in
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
By Ikram Hoti

ISLAMABAD: Security agencies have found out that after erosion of the Swat, Buner and Salarzai strongholds, the Taliban have amassed on the hard terrain between Batkhela and Jalala on the Mardan-Swat Highway, and that is from where they perpetrate with the kind of suicide attacks one of which was thwarted at Thana in Swat the other day.

It is from here, say senior security officials working on a new plan to attack this new stronghold, that they are building their arms arsenals, training camps, logistics and propaganda centres.

More than 200 people received handwritten and typed death threats in Mardan, Batkhela, Dargai and the surrounding towns from the Taliban over the past fortnight. These letters point out that “We are aware of how you assist security agencies and act against Islam. You are going to face the wrath of God,” says one of them.

“These letters are being sent down from Shergarh, Batkhela, Chakdara, Iroshah, Shakh Number Panch, Jabban Road, Palai Sherkhanai, Sakhakot, Jalala and other villages on the Highway,” said Kamal Shah, former NWFP Minister and chairman of Pukhtoon Aman Jirga, who is one of the recipients.

Securities officials revealed to The News that they had developed “a sense of the reality that Taliban must be creating their new stronghold in areas surrounding Shergarh on Mardan-Swat Highway after they tasted a telling defeat in Swat, Buner and Dir. We are on their heels and are making all efforts to block arms and ammunition supplies to them from the channels developed by Taliban through Mohmand Agency, the adjoining areas of Malakand like Palai Sherkhani and Jabban Iroshah Road.”

When asked if they had any data on the activities of Taliban increasing after they made Shergarh their new stronghold, they said, “We are aware of the fact that they are sending down letters to the leaders of peace jirga and Aman Lashkars. We know that about two days ago they attacked the Shabqadar Adeenzai Aman Jirga chief, Malik Mohammad Ali. They attacked Bezo Kharaki Police Station two months ago and killed three policemen. They are now concentrating on the police patrols, as they attacked and killed three policemen last week in Lawrencepur. They are extending these activities toward the upper Punjab. They are causing fear to prevent emergence of new Lashkars and Aman Jirgas.”

Letter sent down to the Pukhtoon Aman Jirga chairman, Kamal Shah states: “We have repeatedly warned you against creating Jirga and Lashkar. You proved resilient. You know how we treat such defiance. We made such people into scaring example. We made two attempts on you previously on Mardan-Swabi Road and in Peshawar, but you escaped. And you do not stop indulging in what is against our mission and cause. We have made all arrangements not to let you escape this time. Be prepared to face an ugly end. Your family members are also our target. You cannot escape the punishment.”

Taliban create new stronghold; forces zeroing in

 

[fatman17]

^ quick action is required to eliminate this new threat!

 

[PakShaheen79]

Some troops needed there to boost confidence of locals who are receiving these threats. I wonder how they move so quickly to build new command centers and training camps. It seems still lots of money is going into this mess from Afghan border.

 

[Patriot]

Some troops needed there to boost confidence of locals who are receiving these threats. I wonder how they move so quickly to build new command centers and training camps. It seems still lots of money is going into this mess from Afghan border.

I second what.We should provide excellent security to patriots who are helping Pakistan Army.

 

[muse]

More than 200 people received handwritten and typed death threats in Mardan, Batkhela, Dargai and the surrounding towns from the Taliban over the past fortnight. These letters point out that “We are aware of how you assist security agencies and act against Islam. You are going to face the wrath of God,” says one of them.

These are called "Shab nameh" - or "night letter" -- it is the talib's preferred method of intimidation in Afghanistan --- it's curious how similar the so called pakistani and Afghan talib are -- yet some refuse to acknowledge that they are so similar so as to enable the statement that they are the same.

 

[Xeric]

Taliban create new stronghold; forces zeroing in
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
By Ikram Hoti

ISLAMABAD: Security agencies have found out that after erosion of the Swat, Buner and Salarzai strongholds, the Taliban have amassed on the hard terrain between Batkhela and Jalala on the Mardan-Swat Highway, and that is from where they perpetrate with the kind of suicide attacks one of which was thwarted at Thana in Swat the other day.

It is from here, say senior security officials working on a new plan to attack this new stronghold, that they are building their arms arsenals, training camps, logistics and propaganda centres.

More than 200 people received handwritten and typed death threats in Mardan, Batkhela, Dargai and the surrounding towns from the Taliban over the past fortnight. These letters point out that “We are aware of how you assist security agencies and act against Islam. You are going to face the wrath of God,” says one of them.

“These letters are being sent down from Shergarh, Batkhela, Chakdara, Iroshah, Shakh Number Panch, Jabban Road, Palai Sherkhanai, Sakhakot, Jalala and other villages on the Highway,” said Kamal Shah, former NWFP Minister and chairman of Pukhtoon Aman Jirga, who is one of the recipients.

Securities officials revealed to The News that they had developed “a sense of the reality that Taliban must be creating their new stronghold in areas surrounding Shergarh on Mardan-Swat Highway after they tasted a telling defeat in Swat, Buner and Dir. We are on their heels and are making all efforts to block arms and ammunition supplies to them from the channels developed by Taliban through Mohmand Agency, the adjoining areas of Malakand like Palai Sherkhani and Jabban Iroshah Road.”

When asked if they had any data on the activities of Taliban increasing after they made Shergarh their new stronghold, they said, “We are aware of the fact that they are sending down letters to the leaders of peace jirga and Aman Lashkars. We know that about two days ago they attacked the Shabqadar Adeenzai Aman Jirga chief, Malik Mohammad Ali. They attacked Bezo Kharaki Police Station two months ago and killed three policemen. They are now concentrating on the police patrols, as they attacked and killed three policemen last week in Lawrencepur. They are extending these activities toward the upper Punjab. They are causing fear to prevent emergence of new Lashkars and Aman Jirgas.”

Letter sent down to the Pukhtoon Aman Jirga chairman, Kamal Shah states: “We have repeatedly warned you against creating Jirga and Lashkar. You proved resilient. You know how we treat such defiance. We made such people into scaring example. We made two attempts on you previously on Mardan-Swabi Road and in Peshawar, but you escaped. And you do not stop indulging in what is against our mission and cause. We have made all arrangements not to let you escape this time. Be prepared to face an ugly end. Your family members are also our target. You cannot escape the punishment.”

Taliban create new stronghold; forces zeroing in

i have seen such letter, and let me tell you that they are down right nasty!

They can create a lot of stir in any normal life. Imagine you come back home one fine evening and find your family shaken as they have received a letter from militants. i hope that these buggers are taken down ASAP!

 

[fatman17]

Recognise Pakistan’s progress in war on terror: Mullen

*Washington will extend support at Pakistan’s own pace
*US wants Pak, India to engage in senior-level talks

WASHINGTON: Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff committee, told US lawmakers on Tuesday that it is important to recognise the success of the Pakistan Army offensive against the Taliban that has recently cemented the long-term strategic and cooperative relationship between the two countries.

In reference to the army’s offensive in the NWFP, Mullen said in the last year the Pakistani military and the Frontier Corps had achieved a lot.

"A lot has changed in the last year in Pakistan in terms of what the Pakistani military and the Frontier Corps have achieved. And I think it's important to recognise that, because a year or two ago, there were many people who were very sceptical that they would do anything at all. And they've had a big impact," Mullen said at a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for his second term as chairman.

Islamabad’s decision: He said the US would continue to support Islamabad at the pace the country desired.

"We are there to support them where they are asking for our support. That said, it's only going to go as fast as they want it to go. I've been there I think 13 times. It's very clear to me that they very much appreciate the support, but it's going to be at their pace --- even though many of us would like to see it happen more quickly," he added.

He drew lawmakers' attention to the vitality of US assistance for Pakistan in the long-term under a pending bipartisan bill, sponsored by senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar.

"We think that is an important long-term relationship. They still ask, are you staying or going this time? That’s not unlike the question that gets asked in Afghanistan. The Kerry-Lugar bill is very important, as far as I am concerned, because it is not about $ 1.5 billion a year as much a five-year commitment to Pakistan. So our strategy is, I think, much more comprehensive with Pakistan than it used to be. But there are limits. It's a sovereign country, and they are very much in charge of their own country," Mullen said.

More engagement: Mullen said the US wanted India and Pakistan to engage at senior-level talks as Washington was seeking opportunities to build confidence between the two South Asian nations. He added that both countries faced common regional threats of violent extremism.

"India and Pakistan share a common regional threat of violent extremism. Our strategy is regionally focused and acknowledges that what happens in one country affects the other," Mullen said.

app

 

[coz-i-fly]

every thing is fine all operation and zeroing but my question is where is civil administration they simply backed out once it started guess wat all police walas ran away no local constablaery

 

[fatman17]

every thing is fine all operation and zeroing but my question is where is civil administration they simply backed out once it started guess wat all police walas ran away no local constablaery

valid point!