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Operation Rah-e-Rast (Swat)

Pakistan's offensive not in America's interest?

Was the drone strike on Maulvi Nazir's men in Pakistan's interest?

How can the American's expect Pakistan to move against both Afghan and Pakistani Talibs? What has history taught us about armies that open more than one front at a time?

Do not the Americans realise that if the PakTab are taken care of, it would be easier to neutralise the threat from the AfTab?
 
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Pakistan's offensive not in America's interest?

Was the drone strike on Maulvi Nazir's men in Pakistan's interest?

How can the American's expect Pakistan to move against both Afghan and Pakistani Talibs? What has history taught us about armies that open more than one front at a time?

Do not the Americans realise that if the PakTab are taken care of, it would be easier to neutralise the threat from the AfTab?

The Americans may be trying to ensure no rapprochement between Pakistan and Maulvi Nazeer occurs, which would ensure that he fights with B Mehsud, and would likely also draw in Gul Bahadur. That means the PA would be up against the majority of the Taliban in South and North Waziristan simultaneously.

The Americans may be doing this because they don't trust the GoP to pressure Nazeer and Bahadur after Baitullah is defeated, and would rather the PA be forced to take them all on, instead of engaging them piecemeal.

But if the three factions unite, the PA might be unable to prevail comprehensively over any of the three, which in fact would be a worse situation from NATO's perspective in the long run.
 
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Rawalpindi - June 19, 2009:

1. During last 24 hours, 4 terrorists were killed and 2 were apprehended, while 1 soldier was injured in Malakand and Buner.

2. Swat

a. Afzal Khan Lala alongwith his family have reached Durshkhela, his home town.

b. Security forces secured Akhun Kalle and established a check post at Chungai. During exchange of fire with terrorists, 1 soldier was injured.

c. Security forces commenced clearance operation in area around Zara Khela, Khawazakhela, Matta and recovered three 12 bore rifles.

d. Security forces arrested 2 terrorists from Khawazakhela and Karaora including wanted terrorist Mola khan.

e. Another 9 IDP families comprising 25 members moved back to Kalam.

3. Buner.

Security forces carried out search operation at Sar Qila. During exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists, 4 terrorists were killed.

4. Mohmand.

Security forces successfully secured Mohmand Gate, Nawapass, Ghungat, Kuz and Chamarkand. During clearance operation two Markaz were destroyed, which were being used for terrorists training, 20 shells of 75 MM Recoilless Rifles were also recovered.

5. Relief Activities and Restoration of Services

a. 10 IDPs Camps are being managed by the Army, which is 79 percent of total IDPs.

b. Restoration of Services

(1) Repair work started on 66 KVA transmission line from Chakdara to Buner.

(2) Mingora telephone exchange is partially restored.

(3) Repair work on Sui Gas restoration is in progress.

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KIT Over n Out:victory::pakistan::sniper::guns:
 
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Officials: 50 militants dead in Pakistan fighting

By ROHAN SULLIVAN, Associated Press Writer Rohan Sullivan, Associated Press

CHUPRIAL, Pakistan – Pakistani troops backed by jet fighters and artillery have killed about 50 militants in a volatile northwestern tribal region near Afghanistan where the country's top Taliban leader is believed to be entrenched with thousands of his fighters, officials said Saturday.

They were the first known militant casualties in South Waziristan — where Pakistan Taliban head Baitullah Mehsud and al-Qaida figures are believed to be hiding — since the military started pounding the area with artillery about a week ago. Mehsud is blamed for a series of suicide attacks that have killed more than 100 people since late May.

Although the army has not announced a formal start of full-scale operations in South Waziristan — an offensive that Washington has been pressing Pakistan to undertake — officials said troops are already occupying strategic positions in the region.

The operation, seen as a test of nuclear-armed Pakistan's resolve against an insurgency that has expanded in the past two years, could be a turning point in its sometimes halfhearted fight against militancy. It also could help the war effort in Afghanistan, because the tribal belt has long harbored militants who launch cross-border attacks.

Jet fighters flattened two abandoned militant-linked seminaries and a training facility Friday in a clear sign that the operation was ramping up.

Two intelligence and army officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media, said heavy fighting was under way in the villages of Barwand and Madijan, with about 50 militants killed.

A military statement said 37 extremists were killed when they tried to block the main South Waziristan road near the town of Sarwaki. There was no way to reconcile the differing death tolls due to restrictions on media access to the region.

Meanwhile, artillery fire was pounding militant positions in the Biha valley, in the upper Swat Valley, following an intense operation there Friday night against one of few remaining Taliban strongholds in the region.

"This area is the center of gravity for the terrorists," said Maj. Gen. Sajjad Ghani, who is in control of efforts to clear Taliban from a 3,860-square-mile (10,000-square-kilometer) area in the northern Swat valley.

"As of now, there are only pockets of resistance left. The terrorists are on the run. Command and control is disarray. They are unable to organize an integrated response," he said.

During a military-sponsored trip for journalists to Chuprial, Ghani said 95 percent of the region under his control has been cleared and that most of the resistance the military is facing is in Biha, a short valley that backs into snow-covered mountains that are limiting the Taliban's efforts to flee.

He said about 400 militants have been killed in the area during the six weeks of fighting, but conceded many top commanders have managed to escape, some possibly headed to havens in Afghanistan or the Waziristan tribal areas.

Up to 3,000 militants may be left in the area, but only 500 of them are "hard-core" fighters and the rest are recruits who would return to civilian life once military authority is re-established, Ghani said.

The information from the military could not be independently confirmed because access to large parts of the Swat region is restricted.

Overall, the army says it has killed nearly 1,500 militants since April in Swat.

Ghani said a high-intensity operation will continue for about a week or so, then another few weeks will be needed to go after stragglers.

Reporters were taken to a militant training camp where Ghani said about 50 militants were killed, including Arabs, Afghans and Uzbeks. The complex included tunnels and an ammunition dump. Troops showed off seized weapons, including improvised bombs, a heavy machine gun and ammunition boxes for rocket-propelled grenades.

Helicopters, including Cobra gunships, flew overhead, and there was no sign of civilians in the scenic area of steep mountainsides and terraced fields, dotted with small villages of single-story concrete houses. The army clearly has the high ground in most places, dug in with heavy machine guns in sandbagged bunkers.

Officials are planning to let some of the more than 2 million people displaced by fighting in Swat to start returning home further south Thursday.

They are being sent first to Mingora, Swat's main city. Electricity and civic facilities must be restored before they are allowed to go home in "phases," said Fazal Karim Khattak, a senior government official.

Refugees were happy to hear they will soon go home but worry about what they will find.

"Of course I am happy, but I don't know whether our home is safe or it has been destroyed," said Khadija Bibi, 45, a mother of four who left her home in the Kanjua near Mingora in May.

Khaisata Khan, 32, who owned a shop in the heart of the city of Swat, said he didn't know what had happened to his shop as the military had targeted Taliban in the area where it was located.

"If peace returns to Swat, I will forget the damage to my property and the pain we have to face in the camps," he said as he sat in a camp on the outskirts of the main northwestern city of Peshawar.

The Swat offensive has been generally welcomed in Pakistan, but public opinion could quickly turn if the government fails to effectively help the refugees or civilian casualties mount. The government has said the army will need to stay in Swat for a year to ensure security.

Associated Press writer Munir Ahmad in Islamabad.
 
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Pakistan's offensive not in America's interest?

Was the drone strike on Maulvi Nazir's men in Pakistan's interest?

How can the American's expect Pakistan to move against both Afghan and Pakistani Talibs? What has history taught us about armies that open more than one front at a time?

Do not the Americans realise that if the PakTab are taken care of, it would be easier to neutralise the threat from the AfTab?

actually they are partly right. just have a look at all the political play goin on in waziristan. i would say that pakistans only target is baitullah mehsud. rit now pakistan is considerin all the other players (mainly involved in afghanistan) as allies against baitullah. baitullah has not done much damage to americans. meanin it wont make much of a difference to americans if his network (mainly involved in pakistan) is destroyed.
 
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Life returns to Buner

* Buner DCO Yahya Akhunzada said IDPs’ return to secure areas will build confidence, contribute to Taliban’s defeat

DAGGAR: Life in the scenic valley of Buner – a stronghold of the Taliban for the past three months – has slowly started returning to normal as a government official announced on Friday that the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of the district can finally go home.

Several families were seen returning to the valley surrounded by high, green mountains. Many shops were seen open on the road to the town and vendors were selling fruit and vegetables from carts. The town’s hospital has also reopened.

More than half of Buner’s 700,000 population had fled the fighting between the Taliban and Pakistan Army, but Buner District Coordination Officer (DCO) Yahya Akhundzada said about 6,000 of them had returned.

The Taliban thrust into Buner in early April raised fears for the future of Pakistan, a vital ally for the US as it strives to defeat Al Qaeda and stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan, and for the safety of its nuclear arsenal.

Most of Pakistan’s political parties and members of the public support the offensive but the government risks seeing that backing disappear if the IDPs languish in misery.

Confidence building: Akhundzada said the return of people to secure areas would build confidence, which in itself would contribute to the defeat of the Taliban.

“My message for the IDPs is that they should at least come back to the cleared areas of Buner,” Akhundzada told reporters. The army has made progress in Swat, pushing the Taliban out of the main towns. An end to the offensive appears in sight, although soldiers were still encountering pockets of resistance.

But, as people trickle back to their homes, an exodus of civilians from another area looms with the military planning an offensive against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud in his stronghold in South Waziristan. Thousands of people have left the region, residents said, as the army launches occasional air strikes on Mehsud’s positions.

Aircraft bombed the Taliban in South Waziristan again on Friday, residents said, but all was quiet in Buner.

“The town is fully secured and there is no resistance at all. Wherever we see the Taliban, in town or in the mountains, we chase and eliminate them,” the main commander in the area, Colonel Naseer Janjua, told Reuters.

The army said it killed nearly 500 Taliban out of an estimated 1,000 in Buner, with the rest on the run. Independent casualty estimates were not available.

The Taliban put up tough resistance, especially in their stronghold of Sultanwas, a village 4 km north of Buner, where troops later recovered a huge arms cache.

Most of the houses in the village were completely destroyed or badly damaged.

reuters
 
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Despite all the trauma, Swat IDPs are eager to return

* IDPs say only two plastic mats are provided to nine
*amilies g Displaced man says most people could not get out of their villages due to closure of roads and lack of financial resources

By Manzoor Ali Shah

PESHAWAR: Situated in labyrinthine streets in Kohati area of Peshawar, Government Girls Middle School Gul Badshah Jee’s building is serving as an internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) camp. Nine families with 58 individuals, including 27 females, are living there.

The camp population belongs to Ser Telegrama locality situated on Malam Jabba Road, some 20 kilometres from Swat’s capital town Mingora. The IDPs said that Ser Telegrama was one of the areas where Taliban had dug caves to live in. They said that after starting of the military operation, most of the Taliban from other areas also came to their area. However, all of them were locals.

I did not see any non-local Taliban among them. However, Taliban from Waziristan were present in Matta area, a camp resident Akhtar Hussain said.

He said that after the beginning of the fighting, Taliban restricted themselves to their caves, which were later bombed by helicopters and fighter jets. However, he was not sure about their (Taliban’s) number and deaths.

The IDP families at the camp complained that only two plastic mats were provided to nine families while there were only three water coolers of the school and nothing else was given to them by the authorities.

Akhtar said that so far, they received only pulses, sugar and rice (two kilogram each) and 250 grams tea leaves and after that, no one bothered to inquire about their needs and they were using their own resources to survive.

Daily Times also talked to two relatives of these IDPs who were in Peshawar to purchase medicines for two ailing members of their family. For the purpose, they first travelled on foot from Kas Manglor area in Swat to Buner district through Kandou and from there, reached Peshawar on Thursday.

One of them, Syed Jahan Alam, told Daily Times that most of the people were trapped in their villages and could not get out of there due to closure of roads, curfew and for not having enough financial resources to cover the travel expanses.

He said that people were still trapped in Malam Jabba, Charbagh, and Manglor areas. They were without food and nobody bothered to help them out.

“Everything the government is doing is centred only on Mingora, which has a population of 400,000 individuals only while the population of the whole district stands at 1.6 million,” he said.

He said that a 20 kg bag of flour cost Rs 1,660 there and most of the people were living on green vegetables and wheat flour, while the shops had run out of supplies.

“The government aid reaches only Mingora and not moves forward,” he said. Syed Anwar Shah, a resident of the same area, said that their losses in orchids and fruits were a heavy blow for them.

He said that every year he used to earn Rs 500,000 on peaches produce and Rs 200,000 on apricots produce, but this year he was not able to earn a single penny as all of his produce was wasted.

The fruits were ripening when we left Swat and the entire yield that was a source of sustenance for most of our area people was destroyed in the operation and the people are now without any money, he said.

Despite all the bloodshed and trauma of displacement, these people are anxious about returning to their homes as soon as possible.

“I am a king in Swat and nothing in Peshawar,” said Anwar
 
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whatever - my guess is you either like military dictators hellbent on destroying democractic institutions or are related to the late dictator - are you Gen Zia's nephew or something? :)

Neither of the above.

If your your idea of a democratic institution is present day Pakistan then I'd settle for Zia's Pakistan any day.

As one member pointed out Pakistan was looked up to by the Muslim world when General Zia was in power, and now we are the laughing stock of the whole world, where we have cartoons made of us in the foreign press depicting us as the dogs of America.

You sure your not related to Zardari or something?
 
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US owes Pakistan $1bn for NATO fuel supply: Haroon

LAHORE/KARACHI: The United States owes Pakistan $1 billion for fuel supplies to the NATO forces in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Abdullah Hussain Haroon said on Saturday.

According to a private TV channel, the envoy told reporters that out of the $10 billion given to Pakistan by Washington, $6 billion had been spent on fighting terrorism. He urged the world to complement Pakistan’s fight against militants and added that the government had asked the UN to hold an inquiry into the sources of arms and funding for extremists.

app/daily times monitor
 
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US gives 6 water trucks to army

ISLAMABAD: In response to a request made by Pakistan, the United States has provided six water trucks to the Pakistan Army, a US embassy press release said on Saturday. The trucks, each with the capacity to hold 4,500 litres and a pumping unit, would be used to supply water to the internally displaced persons’ (IDP) camps established by the government across the NWFP. The total value of the trucks, which have been purchased in Pakistan, is over $179,000.

staff report
 
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NYT reporter escapes Taliban captivity with the help of a Army scout!

WASHINGTON: A New York Times reporter has escaped after being held by Taliban for seven months in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the newspaper reported on its website on Saturday. David Rohde, along with an Afghan reporter, Tahir Ludin, and their driver, Asadullah Mangal, had been abducted on November 10 outside Kabul. The newspaper, quoting Rohde’s wife Kristen Mulvihill, said Rohde and Ludin late on Friday climbed over a wall of the compound they were being held captive at in North Waziristan. Mangal did not escape with them, it said.

reuters
 
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Rawalpindi - June 21, 2009:


1.   During last 24 hours, 7 terrorists were killed and 16 were apprehended, while 5 soldiers were injured in Malakand.

2.   Swat

a.   During an exchange of fire at Langer, Khawazakhela, 1 terrorist was killed while 6 were apprehended and 15 Small Machine Guns 1 Sinper Rifle, 1 Rifle 8 MM, Communication sets and Grenades were also recovered.

b.   Security forces established check post at road Akhun Kalle – Dadhran. Terrorists fire raided a security forces vehicle on road Dakorak-Allahbad, resultantly 5 soldiers were injured.

c.   Security forces successfully secured areas around Piochar, Kharkai, Kharkarai and Biha. Intense engagement and heavy exchange of fire took place between security forces and terrorists in Biha Valley South of Chuprial. Security forces recovered 20 Small Machine Guns, Rifle G-3 , 2 Rocket Launchers with 7 Rockets, 12 x 12 Bore Rifles, 2 Grenades and 6000 rounds of SMG and 2 MM rifles while   6 terrorists were killed and 10 were apprehended. Some foreign currency has also been recovered from terrorists hideouts in Biha.

d.   Security forces secured areas around Barko Sar, Roringar, Nalkot, Wainai towards Biha, Bartana and Pushtunat.

e.   Security forces have commenced clearance operation at Tirang, Thana, Allahdand and Batkhela.

3.  South Waziristan Agency.   Terrorists had blocked the road between Tanai to Sarwaki in SWA. An operation to open the road has been launched which is still in progress.

4.   Relief Activities by Army

a.   Security forces have established a camp for IDPs in Besham. So far 3000 IDPs of Kalam have been shifted to their native homes.

b.   8 trucks of rations and relief items have been distributed amongst the IDPs of Malakand.

c.   13 trucks carrying 6000 flour bags and 1950 ration packs purchased by the Army have been distributed amongst the IDPs.

d.   Security Forces established a Free Medical Camp in Peochar valley in which over 600 patients were treated by Army Doctors.

5.   Restoration of Services 

a.   Main electricity transmission lines have been repaired till Dagger Grid Station.

b.   Sui Gas supply to the city of  Mingora  and surrounding villages has also been restored.

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KIT Over n Out :victory::pakistan::sniper::guns:
 
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Sorry about this update I missed anyhow just for info I would share it.

Rawalpindi - June 20, 2009:

1. During last 24 hours, 38 terrorists were killed and 6 were apprehended, while 6 soldiers including an officer embraced Shahadat; 17 soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer were injured in Malakand and South Waziristan Agency.

2. Swat

a.   Security forces successfully secured Kotlai, Chungai, Zara Khela and commenced operation towards Dagai. During exchange of fire with terrorists, 1 Security Forces personnel was injured.

b.   Terrorists ambushed security forces vehicle at road Udigram- Akhun Kalle, resultantly 3 soldiers embraced Shahadat 7 soldiers were injured.

c.   Terrorists fire raided at Shahdand Banda, Devolai and Totan Banda, resultantly 3 soldiers were injured. 6 terrorists were killed in exchange of fire with Security Forces.

d.   Security forces commenced clearance operation from Malakand to Thana. 1 soldier embraced shahadat during exchange of fire with terrorists.

e.   Security forces carried out search operation around Peochar, during exchange of fire with terrorists, 3 terrorists including brother of local terrorists commander Yousaf were apprehended. A complex of 4 tunnels was also destroyed.

f.   Security forces cleared villages Babu (2 km north of Biladram), Shakardarra, while 3 terrorists were apprehended and 3 IEDs were also neutralized.

g.   Clearance operation by Security Forces progressing well at Sakhara, Kharakai, Wanai and Lilbant.

3. Dir.

Local elders Jirgas held a meeting with Security Forces on security situation of the area and expressed their support for the Government and Security Forces.

4. Bajaur.

a.   Security forces cleared area around village Asghar.

b.   Security forces party was ambushed at Hilal Khel, during heavy exchange of fire with terrorists, an officer Major Afzal and 1 soldier embraced shahadat and 6 soldiers were injured.

5. South Waziristan Agency.

Terrorists had blocked the road between Tanai to Sarwaki in SWA. Road opening and road clearance operations are being conducted from Tanai to Sarwaki. 32 terrorists were killed in Sarwaki in retaliatory fire by Security Forces.

6. Restoration of Services at Mingora

a.   All the roads in Mingora city and Takhtaband by pass have been repaired for two way traffic by Army Engineers. Damage was caused to roads by terrorists.

b.   Malakand - Mingora road has also been repaired.

c.   Sui Gas repair work in city and surrounding villages has been completed except Kabbal and Rahimabad.

d.   500 lines of PTCL exchange are fully functional.

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KIT Over n Out :victory::pakistan::sniper::guns:
 
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Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan -- The Pakistani army has exceeded expectations in its offensive against Taliban fighters in northwestern Pakistan, effectively marshaling arms, tactics and political support. But the tougher challenge will be preventing the extremists from returning, or from regrouping elsewhere.

"The key question is whether the army can hold the ground afterward," said Urmila Venugopalan, a South Asia expert with the defense analysis group Jane's.

The early results, which come at a huge humanitarian cost, have bolstered at least temporarily the reputation of a military sometimes accused of fostering militancy to further its long-standing fight with India over the disputed region of Kashmir.

Analysts, however, pointed out that early military victories are only a first, easy step in an effective counterinsurgency campaign. The government must also address the sources of discontent on which the extremists thrive, including government corruption, inadequate services and a sclerotic legal system.

"It's never a solution to the problem," said Shaukat Qadir, a retired Pakistani brigadier general. "People have complaints, which need to be addressed sooner or later."


Some also believe the army remains halfhearted about fighting militancy and continues to see India as the "real" enemy.

"I'm still not sure if this was all done to please the Americans," said Shireen Mazari, a defense analyst. "People who die don't have Taliban printed on their foreheads. It could mostly be civilians."

The army has deployed more than 20,000 troops against an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 Taliban fighters. A rule of thumb holds that armies need a 10-to-1 advantage in fighting insurgencies, said Farrukh Saleem, executive director of Islamabad's Center for Research and Security Studies.

Military experts sometimes refer to the type of fighting going on in the Swat, Buner and Dir districts as "asymmetric warfare." Put simply, most armies aren't great against scrappy, highly motivated, mobile militants.

Since the offensive was launched in late April, Taliban fighters have avoided head-on conflict with a superior military force, engaging in hit-and-run, harassment and scare tactics, and, when all else failed, hiding or fleeing, hoping the army would lose interest. That's exactly what happened in Swat in late 2007, late 2008 and early this year.

They've also focused on softer targets, such as police stations and government offices, in a bid to create fear among the civilian population.

What's potentially different this time around, analysts said, is the greater public support for the army, provided it holds. That could be tested as more retaliatory suicide attacks hit Pakistani cities, such as the recent strikes on a security headquarters in Lahore and a five-star hotel in Peshawar.

Although most Pakistanis had gone along with a controversial February deal allowing the Taliban to impose Sharia, or Islamic law, in Swat, the Taliban's expansion into Buner, a mere 60 miles from Islamabad, the capital, set alarm bells clanging at home and abroad.

"I think the army played it very intelligently," said Tasneem Noorani, a former minister. "Everyone begged them to come in. So people can't complain during the next election. It's a popular operation."

Targeting Buner and Dir first also made strategic sense. By attacking two districts that bracket Swat, analysts said, the army forced militants inward, letting the military effectively employ its air power and artillery against a more lightly equipped adversary using rocket launchers, machine guns, explosives, light artillery and small arms.

With the conflict area largely blocked to outsiders, however, many of the details remain unclear.

"The army spokesman stands up there at a press conference every day and tells us how many were killed yesterday," said Kamran Shafi, a retired Pakistani army officer and analyst. "But there are almost no pictures and little transparency."

Initially the military relied heavily on air power, claiming success against Taliban strongholds and ammunition dumps.

"The army couldn't just put boots on the ground and get slaughtered," said Talat Masood, an analyst and retired Pakistani general. "Once they soften them up significantly, and they're on the run, they can make better progress."

With the area ringed, ground troops were sent in to control mountain passes and other choke points, cutting off Taliban supply routes and hampering escape.

"I think that was quite effective," said Rahul Bhonsle, head of Security-risks.com, a New Delhi-based military analysis group.

It also dropped special-forces units from helicopters into Taliban strongholds, analysts said. Armies, with their mechanized transport and heavy artillery, don't tend to do well in densely covered mountainous terrain, said I.A. Rehman, an independent analyst. The special forces helped blunt that disadvantage by calling in bombing targets for aircraft and taking the fight to the militants before they could flee or fully dig in.

Still, experts warn that this may prove a Pyrrhic victory if fighters quietly return in coming months and regroup to fight another day.

Early on, the army concentrated on the northwestern side of Swat, analysts said, blocking escape routes in the direction of the porous Afghan border and driving militants south, where the flatter terrain favored the army and where troops moving in from Buner and Dir could intercept them.

"Basically, the army tried to cut off the routes that give them an exit," said Nasim Zehra, an independent defense analyst.


The government also employed some sleight of hand to prevent Taliban fighters from being resupplied.

In a cable reportedly intercepted by the army that was subsequently leaked, Swat Taliban leader Maulana Qazi Fazlullah pleaded for assistance from Baitullah Mahsud, a top Pakistani Taliban leader based in the South Waziristan region.

But South Waziristan officials distracted Mahsud with a jirga, or council, of tribal elders ostensibly sent to conduct local peace talks, said Rahimullah Yusufzai, an editor with the News newspaper in Peshawar.

"It was a smart strategy," he said. "He never stopped talking."

Despite its early success, the army has come under growing pressure to capture or kill top Taliban leaders, including Fazlullah and close aides Ibne Amin, Shah Dawran, Mehmood Khan and Muslim Khan. At least three attempts have been made to assassinate Fazlullah, and two captured Taliban aides were recently slain in an ambush en route to an interrogation -- perhaps to prevent their giving intelligence to the military.

Analysts say the military gains of recent weeks are a good start but that the next few months will determine whether Pakistan has the will, deft touch and mix of military and political policies needed to reverse years of insurgent gains.

"This has been a huge operation. Now we'll have to see whether the government can mount an effective counterinsurgency strategy," Zehra said. "They've done military before and they've done the economic side before. The question is whether it can be well planned together."

Pakistan faces challenge of cementing victory against Taliban - Los Angeles Times
 
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Rawalpindi - June 22, 2009:

1. Security forces are in the final phase of eliminating terrorists hide outs and camps in Swat. In the north Bhia valley the last stronghold of terrorists has been fully secured and in the west, area of Shamozai is being cleared. Meanwhile search operations are continuing in the secured areas to ensure that areas are safe for the return of IDPs.

2. The overall state of secured areas is as shown on the Map.

3. So far 1592 terrorists have been killed. Photographs of a few are displayed for your information.

4. During search and cordon operation security forces neutralized number of IEDs and destroyed number of small and big tunnels, while 22 terrorists were killed and 5 were apprehended in Malakand.

5. Malakand/ Swat

a. 14 terrorists were killed by security forces during link up operation at Shamozai Bridge, while 8 large size IEDs planted by terrorists were also neutralized.

b. Security forces successfully secured Biha valley, and also cleared Bartana South of Chuprial.

c. 3 small size tunnels were destroyed at Loi Namal.

d. Local Jirga handed over a terrorist to security forces at Behrain, while 4 other terrorists were apprehended at Wanai Bridge, Shalkosar, Bashkhela and Drushkhela.

e. Yesterday in Upper Dir, during an encounter of Lashkar with terrorists, 8 terrorists were killed, 1 got injured and 1 ran away.

6. Charmang Valley.

Security forces are carrying out search and cordon operation in Charmang Tehsil of Bajur to flush out the terrorists from the area.

7. Restoration of Services

a. All the roads in Mingora city and Mingora by pass have been repaired for two way traffic by Army Engineers. Damage was caused to roads by terrorists.

b. Electricity has been restored in Buner.

c. Gas supply to Mingora and surrounding areas has been restored.

d. 500 PTCL lines in Mingora are fully functional. PTCL is working to repair Optical Fibre and exchange at Saidu Sharif.

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KIT Over n Out :victory::pakistan::sniper::guns:
 
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