Operation Rah-e-Rast (Swat)

[muse]

Islamist politicians will raise all manner of hell arguing that the Fauj is "kiling our own people", but it seems the Fauj does not want another spectacle of soldiers surrendering to their Turbaned enemy and offering prayers after turning over their weapons to the enemy.

 

[fatman17]

with ground troops playing a limited role in the mountainous Waziristan, which largely favours traditional guerrilla warfare that the Taliban resort to.

this is where real COIN capability comes in and unfortunately the PA is not fully proficient in this CI Ops !

 

[Elmo]

this is where real COIN capability comes in and unfortunately the PA is not fully proficient in this CI Ops !

Wow!

But before anything else, (a) you finally agree the PA is not proficient for this COIN business or (b) are you quoting someone else on this?

Just want to be clear where you stand.

 

[fatman17]

Wow!

But before anything else, (a) you finally agree the PA is not proficient for this COIN business or (b) are you quoting someone else on this?

Just want to be clear where you stand.

what is confusing in my statement ! reads crystal clear to me!

 

[ajpirzada]

Private armies on frontline of Pakistan war

By Sajjad Tarakzai – 8 hours ago

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) — Six months ago, Fahimuddin was a Pakistani businessman and local councillor. Today he heads a private militia using rocket launchers, guns, grenades and daggers to repel Islamist attacks.

Fed up with kidnappings, bombings and rising fears of militancy around Pakistan's northwest city of Peshawar, the 40-year-old packed up a prosperous property business and took matters into his own hands.

He formed a lashkar, a traditional militia raised by tribesmen in this part of the world for centuries, armed and mobilised temporarily to settle disputes.

It's a dangerous business. Fahimuddin says his men kill assailants. He says he survived two car bombs and escaped a kidnapping attempt, but nothing deters him from staying to flush out Islamist radicals.

"How can I leave my family, my village and my children? I will fight all those who attack my village whether they are Taliban, Lashkar-e-Islam or anyone else," he said at his home in Bazed Khel where Peshawar runs into Khyber.

Suicide and bomb attacks have killed 2,000 people in Pakistan in the last two years. Government forces have been bogged down, fighting for years against Taliban militants spreading out of wild tribal areas into settled areas.

Saddled with a traditional standing army that lacks adequate equipment and counter-insurgency specialists, one of Pakistan's answers has been to arm and support tribesmen to protect local communities.

Fahimuddin wears a custom-made black leather jacket over his traditional shalwar khamis -- its pockets loaded with Kalashnikov magazines and grenades.

His brother Asif ur-Rehman wears a similarly laden jacket. A dagger sticks out of his waist band. Taking out the blade, Rehman whispers: "I also have four grenades inside my shalwar khamis".

One of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal zones on the Afghan border, Khyber has become increasingly dangerous. Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud is active. Attacks on NATO supply trucks bound for Afghanistan are common.

Fifty people were killed in a mosque bombing last March.

Fahimuddin's nemesis is Mangal Bagh, who heads Lashkar-e-Islam, which -- much as the Taliban acts like police -- enforces prayers five times a day and punishes people accused of prostitution, gambling and other vices.

"I received a phone call from a Mangal Bagh man who said they will kill me if I don't stop," said Fahimuddin.

Pakistan says government representatives handle allied tribesmen and elders, dishing out money and ammunition to help them in their fight.

"The military -- in areas like Bajaur and Dir and part of Khyber -- is encouraging these people to expel these militants and terrorists," spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP.

"They are so deep-rooted and widespread it may not be possible for the government and law enforcement agencies to completely get rid of them.

"Lashkars in Bajaur and Upper Dir -- they are pretty successful, they are resisting, expelling all the Taliban," Abbas said.

Fighting between lashkars and militants in the latest government offensive in and around the northwest district Swat has reportedly killed dozens.

But pro-government militias are increasingly at risk. Suicide bombers targeting them have killed more than 100 people since last October.

"These Lashkars are made to save America and people should not be part of this. TTP (Taliban umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) will hit very hard anyone who participates," Taliban spokesman Mulvi Mohammad Omar told AFP.

But analysts warn unlimited support could be a risky business, much as historic support from spy agencies to Islamists to counter-balance rival India has come back to haunt Pakistan on its western rather than eastern border.

They warn that friends of today can turn into enemies of tomorrow.

"We have the example of Mulvi Nazir who raised a militia against Uzbeks (in 2007) but later become a warlord," said analyst Mahmood Shah, a former security chief for the tribal areas.

The assassination of Qari Zainnuddin Mehsud on June 23 was considered a blow -- but not the end of efforts to raise tribesmen against Baitullah.

"Jihad in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir and Palestine is right but jihad in Pakistan is wrong. There are no foreign troops here," Turkestan Bhittani, an ally-turned-rival of Baitullah, told AFP claiming, to have thousands of men.

He says he is determined to be part of the government's expected offensive against the Taliban chief in South Waziristan.

"After they give me the green light, I will attack Baitullah."

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
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AFP
AFP: Private armies on frontline of Pakistan war

 

[fatman17]

Eight militants killed in S.Waziristan army blitz
View attachment 3883

Eight militants were killed as Pak jets pounded Taliban’s suspected hideouts in South Waziristan Agency, the stronghold of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud bordering Afghanistan, report said on Sunday. Reportedly, Pak jets and helicopter gunships targeted the hideouts of Taliban militants in Sirokai area killing eight in the attack. Earlier, five foreign miscreants were killed in security forces firing over a suspected vehicle in tehsil Maidan of Lower Dir, while 11 militants in Khyber tribal region including five foreign nationals were arrested. Artillery pounded two Taliban hideouts in Lower Dir district's Kashmor village killing five rebels and injuring five others, district coordination officer Ghulam Mohammad told French news agency. The two hideouts were targeted and destroyed after prior intelligence information, the official said.

 

[PAFAce]

this is where real COIN capability comes in and unfortunately the PA is not fully proficient in this CI Ops !

Can't they go about Waziristan in a similar manner to Swat. I mean, once the Swatis go back, those same camps could be expanded, resupplied and reused to hold Waziristanis, allowing the military to operate in a similar fashion as in Swat. In fact, it'll probably make it easier for the military to cut the supplies and reinforcements through the border region. I'd like to hear what you have to say.

Also, when you say "not fully proficient", do you mean training-wise or equipment-wise?

 

[zavis2003]

India Pays Baitullah Mehsud to Attack Pakistan’s Nuclear Sites, Plan Deployed


The Indians working with their allies in the Karzai government have
designed a foolproof plan to attack Pakistani nuclear sites using hired
terrorists. This is a seriously dangerous plot against Pakistan!


“They think they can pull it off and permanently damage Pakistan’s
standing internationally and hasten calls for denuclearizing Pakistan.
Any attack on Pakistani nuclear sites in the coming days will be taken
as a declaration of war by India and will be dealt with equal force. There should not be confusion on this.”


Pages - PakNationalists | Google Groups...

 

[muse]

PAF ace

Can't they go about Waziristan in a similar manner to Swat

Different geographical terrain, different culture - why not soften them up some, they can be like mice scurring about, as we target them from the air and use artillery on them -- I can assure you they will find the "culture" that has thus far supported them, will desert them - and then of course the Drones are on the look out for the leadership.

Ultimately we will go in, but I hope when circumstances are more favorable to supporting large movements.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

with ground troops playing a limited role in the mountainous Waziristan, which largely favours traditional guerrilla warfare that the Taliban resort to.

this is where real COIN capability comes in and unfortunately the PA is not fully proficient in this CI Ops !

I disagree, if by that you meant to suggest that the PA is not 'proficient' in the military tactics and strategy required to retake S Waziristan.

If however by 'not proficient in COIN' you mean to imply that the PA will not be able to do the entire process of 'clear, hold and build', then I agree, but then NATO has not shown much success on that front either. So against whom are you measuring this 'proficiency'?

I would say that your reaction was a bit knee jerk in response to the post suggesting the PA is not going in with a full fledged ground offensive ala Swat, on which I agree with Muse's assessment.

In terms of 'capability', where the PA lacks is not so much in tactics and training, but in resources such as CAS, choppers. And even with those restrictions the PA would likely succeed, albeit with far greater casualties and over a longer time frame (though the latter two could alter the domestic dynamics to where the PA may not have the domestic support to finish the job). As far as the 'build' aspect is concerned, the PA has been doing 'build' on a smaller scale for decades now and is quite proficient in it. But a successful 'build' strategy, after the 'clear and hold' part, cannot be accomplished in isolation of support and planning from the civilian government, which is what really hamstrings the PA's overall 'COIN capability'.

 

[courageneverdies]

Rawalpindi - July 12, 2009:

ISPR Daily Update 12th July 2009

1. During last 24 hours, search and clearance operations were conducted in Swat and Malakand.

2. Swat.

a. Security forces conducted search operation at Udagai near Takhtaband and apprehended few suspected persons for screening.

b. Security forces carried out search operation at TV Booster ridge near Mora Kandoa and apprehended 12 suspected terrorists.

c. Security forces conducted search operation at Churkhai Talang and Saddo Khan and destroyed 5 caves, killed 1 terrorist near Churkhai and apprehended 1 suspect.

d. Security forces carried out search operation at Tangbanr near Shalpalm and apprehended 3 terrorists.

e. A remote control bomb exploded at Levies Force vehicle near village Thana, Bakhtkhela. Resultantly 7 levies persons were injured.

3. Dir.

A jirga of notables of Tehsil Lal Qilla near Maidan met security forces officials and discussed matters related to security and administration.

4. South Waziristan Agency.

Terrorists fire raided on routine security forces check post at Dar-e- Nishter Fort. During the exchange of fire 1 soldier embraced Shahadat.

5. Dara Adam Khel (DAK).

A bomb exploded by unknown terrorists in a mosque in area Spina Thana, resultantly 2 soldiers embraced shahadat and 2 were injured.

6. Relief Activities.

a. 12,5397 cash cards were distributed amongst the IDPs of Malakand.

b. IDPs return will start from tomorrow according to a comprehensive plan chalked out by provincial government in coordination with Special Support Group and security forces.

---

KIT Over n Out

 

[fatman17]

I disagree, if by that you meant to suggest that the PA is not 'proficient' in the military tactics and strategy required to retake S Waziristan.

If however by 'not proficient in COIN' you mean to imply that the PA will not be able to do the entire process of 'clear, hold and build', then I agree, but then NATO has not shown much success on that front either. So against whom are you measuring this 'proficiency'?

I would say that your reaction was a bit knee jerk in response to the post suggesting the PA is not going in with a full fledged ground offensive ala Swat, on which I agree with Muse's assessment.

In terms of 'capability', where the PA lacks is not so much in tactics and training, but in resources such as CAS, choppers. And even with those restrictions the PA would likely succeed, albeit with far greater casualties and over a longer time frame (though the latter two could alter the domestic dynamics to where the PA may not have the domestic support to finish the job). As far as the 'build' aspect is concerned, the PA has been doing 'build' on a smaller scale for decades now and is quite proficient in it. But a successful 'build' strategy, after the 'clear and hold' part, cannot be accomplished in isolation of support and planning from the civilian government, which is what really hamstrings the PA's overall 'COIN capability'.

fair enough but lets review the swat ops (including Buner etc). it was a conventional op barring a few high profile CI ops conducted by the SOF. the biggest mistake the taliban/militants made was confronting the PA in the "open" where they got hammered by gunships, tanks and artillery. 20,000 regulars were used in the swat campaign with ~800 SOFs.
when it came to "urban warfare" where the militants hid themselves in small villages and towns - the PA did not go after them on the ground but resorted once again to pound them with jets, gunships and artillery. the dreaded hand-to-hand and house-to-house battles never materialised as the taliban realised their mistake and fled the prized city of mingora which was captured without a real fight. there has been a lot of infrastructure destruction (which was un-avoidable) by the PA/PAF/PAA bombings.
Swat and Waziristan are not the same. I have mentioned in numerous posts that waziristan poses a different threat and I am sure the PA high command also is quite aware of these dangers. the TTP is not going to confront the PA out in the open and that is the reason the PA/PAF have resorted to hit them in the mountains, cutting off their entry and escape routes - the army will be waiting for them patiently if they come down the hills and will be eliminated.
We have to admit that the plan for waziristan is based on the premise that the army cannot commit its SOF assets (1 brigade strength) to chase the TTP in the hills and further the PA is trained to fight conventional battles and its CI capability is being ramped-up slowly. i never said that the PA completely lacks this capability.

 

[courageneverdies]

Rawalpindi - July 11, 2009:

Daily Update 11th July 2009

1. During last 24 hours, search and clearance operations were conducted in Swat and Malakand.

2. Swat.

a. Security forces carried out operation at Abbasia hotel near Malam Jabba and apprehended 2 suspected terrorists and recovered, 1 Small Machine Gun including ammunition, 1 rifle, 1 carbine and 3 pistols.

b. Security forces carried out search operation at Waliabad and apprehended 24 suspects.

c. Security forces carried out search operation in the area of village Churkhai, Talang and Sadda Khan. 3 soldiers got injured in TV Booster area near Thana.

3. Bannu.

An IED exploded near a culvert on link road between Huwaid and Nurar. Resultantly, the bridge got partially damaged.

4. Dir.

During search operation in Dir, security forces recovered 4 safety fuses, 4 detonators, 27 meter blasting cord and 6 kg explosive and destroyed 1 hide out of terrorists.

5. Relief Activities

a. Cash cards have been distributed amongst more than 1,25,000 families of IDPs of Malakand.
b. Todate IDPs have drawn over 1.55 billion rupees.
---

KIT Over n Out

 

[Javed3]

each passing day we get excited with the gains made against the extremist insurgents; drone strikes, leadership killed, arms ceased and facilities destroyed. A few days later we see further "gains" made against essentially the same miscreant groups.

Rah-e-Rast will be deemed successful after Swat becomes the vacation spot that once it was, and normal trade and business activities can take place in Waziristan and other FATA areas. Till these areas are brought into Pakistani economy mainstream they will remain a bleeding ulcer.

Lessons from Vietnam, and more recently Iraq / Afghanistan point to the fact that COIN operations have a self perpetuating quality to them; law of diminishing returns applies. More killings from each side essentially pours more fuel on the fire.

It is upto Pakistan Army to decide whether the objective is to stabilize Pakistan's territory or to inflict the maximum pain and destruction on the bad guys. The two goals are mutually exclusive.

 

[muse]

Today Islamists amongst us say they are proud of our Pakistan army for killing the islamist insugents - whom do they think they are fooling? We know that they are seeking to confuse and to distort history, and like the talib, they will be held accountable:


Politicians and Rah-e-Raast
Monday, July 13, 2009
Talat Farooq

While our politicians are quick to criticize the role played by the military establishment in the making of the Taliban they have never had the moral courage to confess to their own contribution to the phenomenon. The scourge of terrorism that has hit us in the face is the outcome not only of the short-sighted policies of the establishment but also the support lent to these policies by the politicians. During their alternate stints in the 90s both the PPP and the PML, despite their heavy mandates, were busy settling personal scores rather than questioning and holding serious discussions on the aftermath of Pakistan’s Afghan policy, in parliament. But more than the PPP and the PML, it is the religious parties that are today in the process of having their cake and eating it too.

Both the JI and the JUI are opposing the ongoing military operation with their senators terming it as “drama” during a recent senate debate, declaring that it was the military that had created the Taliban in the first place. What they failed to mention was their own contribution to the phenomenon first by actively assisting the military establishment in the 80s and 90s and later continuing to use the institutions of the mosque and madressah to create sectarian and ideological divisions leading to militancy within the society.

The JI, whose anti-military stance today is aired with nauseating repetition, was hand in glove with Ziaul-Haq with Maudoodi himself endorsing Zia’s initiatives for Islamization in Pakistan. The JI, influenced by the Maudoodian concept of militant Jihad, assisted the Zia regime in conducting the Afghan policy and fighting America’s war in Afghanistan. The mess we are in today is the fallout of the same guiding principle. The JI had no qualms in fighting America’s war in the name of Afghan jihad because, besides the fact that dollars were pouring in, it meant more political power to the mullah in Pakistan. The JI, although at loggerheads with the JUI politically, never breathed a word against the rise of the Taliban from the JUI administered madressahs and training camps after the Soviet withdrawal, nor did it ever denounce them as they fought fellow Muslims in Afghanistan. It is therefore rather hypocritical of them to condemn the ongoing military operation on the basis of “killing Muslims” and fighting “America’s war” in Swat and FATA.

The Taliban policy was executed in the 90s during the PPP government with the support of their political ally Maulana Fazal-ur-Rahman whose Saudi funded madressahs, with the blessings of the ISI, trained both Afghan refugees and Pakistani youngsters in the art of militant jihad besides indoctrinating them into one-dimensional bigots. The Pakistani students from JUI-run madressahs were fed as fodder to buttress the fighting cadres of Mullah Omar, himself a product of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq’s madressah. The Taliban in Afghanistan were reinforced with manpower, funds and weapons from Pakistan as they fought and massacred fellow Muslims. The present cold and calculating Taliban leadership that has unleashed terror on the Pakistanis consists of the same battle-hardened, madressah-bred warriors, whose ruthlessness in spawning sectarianism and terrorism in Pakistan is justified in the name of religion by their supporters. Having grown up in refugee camps and then trained in the JUI-run militant madressahs following the Deobandi brand of education that is sympathetic to Wahabism, the Afghan Taliban and their Pakistani brethren have nothing to do with the egalitarian traditions of the Pashtuns and are in fact the perfect reflection of the Quranic version of “mufsidin”.

After 9/11 the Taliban and Al-Qaeda elements, supported by their Pakistani sympathizers, crossed over into FATA as a result of Musharraf’s two-faced policy that strengthened the Pakistani Taliban. This particular policy was never criticized by either the religious or the conservative parties, such as the PML-N, even as they criticized Musharraf for everything else, with the result that the militants have grown in power with the help of local criminals, drug mafia, arms dealers and foreign ‘hands’ that have joined them along the way. The latest turn of events has proved unfavourable to them. The bomb blasts in NWFP and the Punjab targeting law enforcement agencies and the civilians as well as the ongoing violence in Karachi are desperate attempts by them to distract the Pakistani army so that local and foreign militants and other criminal elements can continue to use Pakistani tribal territory for their respective vested interests.

Today, the JUI leadership is unanimous in condemning the military operation against their protégés. One would like to ask them why it was okay for Pakistani jihadists to wage war against the non-Pashtuns and Shia Muslims of Afghanistan and why it is wrong for the Pakistan army to dismantle the TTP. Is it that when the maulvis agree to fight it is jihad but when the military takes on the enemy in keeping with its constitutional obligation it is murder? Similarly, the incumbent amir of the JI minces no words in expressing his admiration for the Taliban style of governance in Afghanistan in the 90s. His party is taking out rallies against the ongoing operation, making one wonder why it never protested or held seminars to condemn religious extremism since the start of suicide bombings in urban Pakistan. Is it that to them the lives of the inhabitants of FATA and PATA are more important than the rest of Pakistanis?

As the Pakistani nation suffers, the politicians cannot be absolved of their complicity in the rise of the Taliban in both the tribal and the urban areas of Pakistan. In the present scenario the PPP has had to take the bold decision to take on the enemy while the main factions of the PML continue to sit on the fence. The only two parties who have come out strongly against the Taliban, the MQM and the ANP, are at daggers drawn in Karachi instead of rising above their personal agendas.

The country is at war and the entire political leadership, including the religious, the conservative and the secular, should be addressing the pressing issues of defeating religious extremism, rehabilitation of the IDPs and reconstruction in the war zones, while devising practical strategies for ensuring the writ of the state in the country. They should be seen as building both bridges and consensus by going to their voters. The truth of the matter is that the nation expects the politicians to launch their own operation Rah-e-Raast by retracing their footsteps to the straight path after publicly confessing their wrong doings and then compensating by genuinely working toward a unified ideological front against the Taliban mindset in the tribal and urban areas of Pakistan.

The writer is executive editor, Criterion. Email: talatfarooq11@ gmail.com