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PAF precision strikes against targets in Swat
Great video, blain2. Do you know what aircraft that is? or is it something different?
Injured soldiers recall stiff resistance
* Troops recovering at Rawalpindi CMH say Taliban often out-flank military
* Say well-equipped Taliban have mortars, rockets, sniper rifles, all types of sophisticated weaponry
RAWALPINDI: They used to attack early in the morning or after dark. They would always go for an ambush, said Lieutenant Zaigham, injured in a battle with the Taliban and lying in a hospital.
Zaigham sustained shrapnel wounds from fierce street fighting in the Swat valley and is a patient at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Rawalpindi, away from the combat zone.
Out-flank: He and fellow soldiers spoke of intense battles against the heavily-armed Taliban, who put up stiff resistance and are often able to outflank the well-equipped and motivated soldiers.
From May 4 to May 17, when Zaigham was injured, his unit advanced slowly from Swat districts Khwazakhela tehsil to Matta, which has long been under Taliban control.
There was strong resistance during the entire journey but we managed to clear the area. They buried mines and planted improvised explosive devices every 50 metres, he said. There were checkpoints, bases and training centres in the mountains. We were clearing and destroying all this.
Equipment: They positioned snipers in holes made out of the walls of houses. They used civilians as human shields. They used to attack from houses and roofs. They are well equipped, they have mortars. They have rockets, sniper rifles and every type of sophisticated weapons, Zaigham said.
I am certain that foreign elements are behind these militants. Can I ask something very simple who are their sponsors? What are their sources of funding? Who runs their logistics? he said.
Residents trapped by the fighting in Swat also say the Taliban had dug trenches and were well armed. United States-based Human Rights Watch has accused the Taliban of using human shields by preventing civilians from leaving.
Zaigham was injured when a rocket shell exploded in Matta and shards of shrapnel sliced into his shoulder and leg.
Some of my colleagues embraced martyrdom in this fight and some were injured, but we forced the militants to retreat, he said.
Soldier Haseeb Ahsan, 26, was among those flown into Peochar in northern Swat last week in a bid to wrest back control of a Taliban bastion and alleged stronghold of Swat Taliban commander Fazlullah.
The airborne troops said they came under heavy fire.
We landed in the jungle. Militants ambushed our group. I received two bullets in my right thigh, but I kept on firing he said.
My wish was to die for my country. I will definitely go back and hit them hard, he said.
One of the younger soldiers, Muhammad Asif, 18, said he was injured last week in Mingora.
It was midnight. I was standing in front of my trench, when I was shot. They always attack secretly, he said.
When I was hit, I returned fire and they ran away. I want to go back, I wish I could become a martyr for my country Asif said. afp