Well i guess 'Hell' has broken lose here..
So 'Hellish' you are a soldier...on your feet soldier!!
more of your cryptic posts?????
nah not a soldier ...... am a doc
Operations in Dir and Buner
- Thread starter fatman17
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more of your cryptic posts?????
nah not a soldier ...... am a doc
fatman17
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Pakistan vows to step up the fight against militants as troops take Buner
Farhan Bokhari JDW Correspondent - Islamabad
Key Points
The Pakistani Army has taken control of Buner district, driving out militant fighters who had been expanding their influence there
Pakistan's President Zardari is travelling to Washington in the hope of securing a much-needed military aid package
Pakistani troops established control over Buner, a key northern district at the centre of the country's latest battle with Taliban militants, on 30 April as key leaders promised to step up the fight against religious hardliners.
"We are not prepared to back off from our determination to fight these militants; they pose a threat to our way of life," Interior Minister Rehman Malik told Jane's .
However, the issue of Pakistan's confrontation with the militants will be central to discussions between President Asif Ali Zardari and US President Barack Obama when the two meet at the White House in the first week in May.
The Obama administration is expected to announce a USD400 million emergency aid package during Zardari's visit, principally to provide assistance for Pakistan's military.
A Pakistani government official who spoke to Jane's said the package would include an unspecified number of helicopter gunships and possibly night-vision equipment for troops operating in places like Buner.
Pakistan is also seeking equipment to jam radios used by the militants. However, the official said it is not clear if the US would agree to provide such equipment, principally over concerns that it may be used by Pakistan's military units against troops from neighbouring India.
Western diplomats warned that US military support for Pakistan was by no means certain. Islamabad's decision to launch its campaign in Buner following an earlier military campaign in the neighbouring district of Dir came only after US officials, alarmed at the proximity of militant fighters to Islamabad and over concessions made to militants in the nearby Swat Valley, criticised Pakistan's armed forces for failing to do enough to combat the Taliban.
US officials claim the Pakistani military remains reluctant to fight fellow Muslims and is sympathetic towards the country's Islamic hardliners. Many of the militants were recruited by the Pakistani military to fight proxy wars on its behalf in locations such as Indian-administered Kashmir and in Afghanistan when the country was fighting its jihad against the Soviet Union.
The resistance offered by the Taliban in Dir and Buner, however, has once again demonstrated that the army is not immune to attacks by religious militants, in spite of any support it may have provided to militants in the past. "The army has to understand that it is fighting an internal enemy which in many ways is a lot more dangerous than the external one," said one Western defence official.
Farhan Bokhari JDW Correspondent - Islamabad
Key Points
The Pakistani Army has taken control of Buner district, driving out militant fighters who had been expanding their influence there
Pakistan's President Zardari is travelling to Washington in the hope of securing a much-needed military aid package
Pakistani troops established control over Buner, a key northern district at the centre of the country's latest battle with Taliban militants, on 30 April as key leaders promised to step up the fight against religious hardliners.
"We are not prepared to back off from our determination to fight these militants; they pose a threat to our way of life," Interior Minister Rehman Malik told Jane's .
However, the issue of Pakistan's confrontation with the militants will be central to discussions between President Asif Ali Zardari and US President Barack Obama when the two meet at the White House in the first week in May.
The Obama administration is expected to announce a USD400 million emergency aid package during Zardari's visit, principally to provide assistance for Pakistan's military.
A Pakistani government official who spoke to Jane's said the package would include an unspecified number of helicopter gunships and possibly night-vision equipment for troops operating in places like Buner.
Pakistan is also seeking equipment to jam radios used by the militants. However, the official said it is not clear if the US would agree to provide such equipment, principally over concerns that it may be used by Pakistan's military units against troops from neighbouring India.
Western diplomats warned that US military support for Pakistan was by no means certain. Islamabad's decision to launch its campaign in Buner following an earlier military campaign in the neighbouring district of Dir came only after US officials, alarmed at the proximity of militant fighters to Islamabad and over concessions made to militants in the nearby Swat Valley, criticised Pakistan's armed forces for failing to do enough to combat the Taliban.
US officials claim the Pakistani military remains reluctant to fight fellow Muslims and is sympathetic towards the country's Islamic hardliners. Many of the militants were recruited by the Pakistani military to fight proxy wars on its behalf in locations such as Indian-administered Kashmir and in Afghanistan when the country was fighting its jihad against the Soviet Union.
The resistance offered by the Taliban in Dir and Buner, however, has once again demonstrated that the army is not immune to attacks by religious militants, in spite of any support it may have provided to militants in the past. "The army has to understand that it is fighting an internal enemy which in many ways is a lot more dangerous than the external one," said one Western defence official.
you are taking into account the dynamics of the varying demographical locations. discount that. you have to deal with that aspect in your approach for changes at grass root level.
however creation of a secure environment is paramount - in whatever environs the insurgency is set. for creation of the same you have to induct massive amount of troops to totally dominate the area and ensure the local populance feels secure and protected. higher the ratio of troops employed to cadres active, better ability to dominate the area. Once that is established, the factors of variable demographies comes into play, where as you rightly said, the sensitivities, cultural ethos etc have to be taken into account by government/aid agencies in promulgating programs for all round development.
I told you am givingthe manipur experiment as an example. they wear tight low waist jeans there with spaghetti tops as usual attire .... no one is asking you to use that is it? so dont take manipur example as a yardstick.
Its only meant to drive in the point of establishment of overwhelming force to drive in developmental projects in protection of.
Pakistan Army resources and morale is being sapped through operations against Pakistani citizens on Pakistani soil. The primary objective of National Defense has been thrown into the dust bin. The main aim of Defense against Indian hegemony has been substituted with "counter insurgency" in support of the US occupation of Afghanistan.
Our armed forces are a national asset, nourished through the sweat, blood and bone marrow of poor Pakistanis most of whom are living well below the poverty line. To waste our national resource, and turn Pakistan into a US / Indian surrogate is an act of gross treason.
Our armed forces are a national asset, nourished through the sweat, blood and bone marrow of poor Pakistanis most of whom are living well below the poverty line. To waste our national resource, and turn Pakistan into a US / Indian surrogate is an act of gross treason.
"We are not prepared to back off from our determination to fight these militants; they pose a threat to our way of life," Interior Minister Rehman Malik told Jane's .
Rehman Malik’s way of life .. Yes. Pakistani way of life …. No.
“Doctor” Rehman Malik had a meteoritic rise from humble origins as an FIA Inspector spinning in cash from Human smuggling rackets masquerading as “Recruiting Agents”, to the pillar of Zardari Government in about 2 decades.
Rehman Malik’s way of life .. Yes. Pakistani way of life …. No.
“Doctor” Rehman Malik had a meteoritic rise from humble origins as an FIA Inspector spinning in cash from Human smuggling rackets masquerading as “Recruiting Agents”, to the pillar of Zardari Government in about 2 decades.
are Talibs the representation of Pakistani way of life?
Xeric
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more of your cryptic posts?????
nah not a soldier ...... am a doc
Ahh... ha..
A tactics talking Doc!
BTW, what are they teaching about Assault Across Water Obstacle in MBBS now a days??
Tactics???? What is that?
Am not MBBS, did my MD from outside India ........ so no idea if there is any chapter on combat engineersrs at all in Indian medical education
I sure didnt have any such lessons apart from a subject on battlefield injuries and their management which i slept in.
Although I do think that Ichogill is not a great place across which IA would like to strike until and unless we have million men to spare ..... you will thoroughly cook us this time ................
however we do have speciifc interest in Sukkur Barrage ...... I wonder why?
ajpirzada
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ya.. firepower is only a short term solution but it is necessary. after talibans have been defeated then comes the next step which is to educate ppl and develop their areas. i guess u r sayin the samething??
ajpirzada
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Taliban under pressure as military operation continues
Saturday, May 02, 2009
By Tariq Butt
ISLAMABAD: The government feels that outlawed Tehrik Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM) chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad and the Taliban are under immense pressure for the first time because of the ongoing military operation in Buner and Dir, which would not be eased till the armed militants were largely taken care of.
The first and foremost demand of Sufi Mohammad and the Taliban to halt the operation would not be accepted. Rather, the pressure on the Taliban would be sustained, an official told The News.
He said there was no possibility of stopping the current drive against the armed militants unless they laid down their arms and fulfilled their written commitment to restore peace in the Malakand Division.
Another official said the pressure that the operation had exerted on the TNSM chief and the Taliban was evident from their steps and they were now not as high flying as they used to be. He said the process of dialogue being conducted by the NWFP government with Sufi Mohammad and the Taliban representatives would continue in the light of the peace agreement but the military operation would not be terminated.
The official said since the NWFP government was fully on board in starting the operation, it had not been too much ìsubmissiveî to the Taliban demands now. He said ironically whenever the Taliban were given ìconcessionsî by reducing the intensity of the operation or reduction in deployment of paramilitary troops or the Pakistan Army personnel, they regrouped to continue their illegal activities, rather than doing their bit to revive peace in the troubled valley.
This time, he said, the official resolve was to break the armed wing of the Taliban and take or destroy their arms and weapons. He said the fate of the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation (NAR) depended on the attitude of the Taliban. If they put aside their arms and restored peace, there was no threat to the NAR, he added.
The official said the strong operation had brought the Taliban to their senses and they now realised that more use of force was in store if they did not mend their ways. He said the Taliban had got the message that the operation was intended to convey
.
He said the government was satisfied over the fact that every political or religious force of Pakistan was totally disappointed with the Taliban who, after the enforcement of the NAR, transgressed in Buner and Shangla, making fun of the writ of the government.
The official said it was encouraging that every political and religious force worth the name was totally alienated from the Taliban. This, he said, has resulted in a rare consensus in Pakistan for the powerful operation against the Taliban in Dir and Buner. On its part, the official said, the NWFP government would continue to persuade the TNSM chief and the Taliban to come to terms as it was ready to implement the NAR in letter and spirit.
He said the NWFP government would name the Qazis as provided for in the NAR. They would be duly appointed judicial officers, who would possess degrees from the International Islamic University, Islamabad, or any other institution imparting training in Uloom-e-Shariah and recognised as such by the government.
The official said the TNSM or the Taliban had no room in the NAR to recommend any names for Qazis. He said the Darul Qaza, which would work in the Malakand Division, would be a bench of the Peshawar High Court and the Darul Darul Qaza a bench of the Supreme Court under the NAR.
He said regardless of the ìinformal consentî of the TNSM, the provincial government would go ahead with appointing Qazis to fulfill its part of the deal. He said Sufi Mohammadís description of the Supreme Court as un-Islamic was a clear violation of the NAR to which the TNSM and the Taliban had agreed before its promulgation.
The government believes that it would be able to clear the mess in Buner and Dir in a couple of weeks. The Pakistan Army, which is carrying out the operation, not only enjoys massive domestic support for it but the United States has also appreciated the drive and wants the military to continue it.
Earlier, Washington was staunchly opposed to the peace deal and promulgation of the NAR in the Malakand Division and also pressed for the use of force to crush the militancy.
Taliban under pressure as military operation continues
ppl were sayin that imposition of NAR will not be gud for the gov... i see the exact opposite. now everyone is united against talibans
Saturday, May 02, 2009
By Tariq Butt
ISLAMABAD: The government feels that outlawed Tehrik Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM) chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad and the Taliban are under immense pressure for the first time because of the ongoing military operation in Buner and Dir, which would not be eased till the armed militants were largely taken care of.
The first and foremost demand of Sufi Mohammad and the Taliban to halt the operation would not be accepted. Rather, the pressure on the Taliban would be sustained, an official told The News.
He said there was no possibility of stopping the current drive against the armed militants unless they laid down their arms and fulfilled their written commitment to restore peace in the Malakand Division.
Another official said the pressure that the operation had exerted on the TNSM chief and the Taliban was evident from their steps and they were now not as high flying as they used to be. He said the process of dialogue being conducted by the NWFP government with Sufi Mohammad and the Taliban representatives would continue in the light of the peace agreement but the military operation would not be terminated.
The official said since the NWFP government was fully on board in starting the operation, it had not been too much ìsubmissiveî to the Taliban demands now. He said ironically whenever the Taliban were given ìconcessionsî by reducing the intensity of the operation or reduction in deployment of paramilitary troops or the Pakistan Army personnel, they regrouped to continue their illegal activities, rather than doing their bit to revive peace in the troubled valley.
This time, he said, the official resolve was to break the armed wing of the Taliban and take or destroy their arms and weapons. He said the fate of the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation (NAR) depended on the attitude of the Taliban. If they put aside their arms and restored peace, there was no threat to the NAR, he added.
The official said the strong operation had brought the Taliban to their senses and they now realised that more use of force was in store if they did not mend their ways. He said the Taliban had got the message that the operation was intended to convey
.He said the government was satisfied over the fact that every political or religious force of Pakistan was totally disappointed with the Taliban who, after the enforcement of the NAR, transgressed in Buner and Shangla, making fun of the writ of the government.
The official said it was encouraging that every political and religious force worth the name was totally alienated from the Taliban. This, he said, has resulted in a rare consensus in Pakistan for the powerful operation against the Taliban in Dir and Buner. On its part, the official said, the NWFP government would continue to persuade the TNSM chief and the Taliban to come to terms as it was ready to implement the NAR in letter and spirit.
He said the NWFP government would name the Qazis as provided for in the NAR. They would be duly appointed judicial officers, who would possess degrees from the International Islamic University, Islamabad, or any other institution imparting training in Uloom-e-Shariah and recognised as such by the government.
The official said the TNSM or the Taliban had no room in the NAR to recommend any names for Qazis. He said the Darul Qaza, which would work in the Malakand Division, would be a bench of the Peshawar High Court and the Darul Darul Qaza a bench of the Supreme Court under the NAR.
He said regardless of the ìinformal consentî of the TNSM, the provincial government would go ahead with appointing Qazis to fulfill its part of the deal. He said Sufi Mohammadís description of the Supreme Court as un-Islamic was a clear violation of the NAR to which the TNSM and the Taliban had agreed before its promulgation.
The government believes that it would be able to clear the mess in Buner and Dir in a couple of weeks. The Pakistan Army, which is carrying out the operation, not only enjoys massive domestic support for it but the United States has also appreciated the drive and wants the military to continue it.
Earlier, Washington was staunchly opposed to the peace deal and promulgation of the NAR in the Malakand Division and also pressed for the use of force to crush the militancy.
Taliban under pressure as military operation continues
ppl were sayin that imposition of NAR will not be gud for the gov... i see the exact opposite. now everyone is united against talibans
ajpirzada
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Taliban attack security forces’ checkpost in Swat
Saturday, May 02, 2009
By our correspondent
MINGORA: Security forces on Friday killed two Taliban commanders and injured four others in a clash at the Langar checkpost in the Khwazakhela Tehsil of the Swat Valley.
Sources said the militants opened fire on security forcesí checkpost, which led to a gunbattle. Gunship helicopters also continued shelling the hilly areas of Matta and Peuchar. It was reported that the clash between security forces and the Taliban militants left two commanders, identified as Nisar and Islam, dead and four others injured at the Langar checkpost in the Khwazakhela Tehsil.
According to unconfirmed reports, six militants were killed in the clash between security forces and the militants. Security forces also recovered a rifle, two hand-grenades and a Kalashnikov from the militants.
A press release of the Swat Media Centre said the militants’ attack on the security forcesí checkpost on the Khwazakhela-Matta bridge was a clear violation of the peace accord. Spokesman for the Swat Taliban Muslim Khan said only two Taliban fighters were injured in the clash between security forces and the Taliban fighters. However, the militant sources admitted that some of their activists were arrested by security forces.
It was reported that the main bazaar of Khwazakhela was closed soon after the clash. Meanwhile, two persons, Jabbar and Umar Zada, kidnapped from the Shagai Akhun Baba area of Mingora were released on Friday. The security forcesí convoy came under fire from unidentified assailants on the Mingora-Saidu Sharif road. The two sides exchanged fire for some time but there was no word on casualties
Taliban attack security forces checkpost in Swat
Saturday, May 02, 2009
By our correspondent
MINGORA: Security forces on Friday killed two Taliban commanders and injured four others in a clash at the Langar checkpost in the Khwazakhela Tehsil of the Swat Valley.
Sources said the militants opened fire on security forcesí checkpost, which led to a gunbattle. Gunship helicopters also continued shelling the hilly areas of Matta and Peuchar. It was reported that the clash between security forces and the Taliban militants left two commanders, identified as Nisar and Islam, dead and four others injured at the Langar checkpost in the Khwazakhela Tehsil.
According to unconfirmed reports, six militants were killed in the clash between security forces and the militants. Security forces also recovered a rifle, two hand-grenades and a Kalashnikov from the militants.
A press release of the Swat Media Centre said the militants’ attack on the security forcesí checkpost on the Khwazakhela-Matta bridge was a clear violation of the peace accord. Spokesman for the Swat Taliban Muslim Khan said only two Taliban fighters were injured in the clash between security forces and the Taliban fighters. However, the militant sources admitted that some of their activists were arrested by security forces.
It was reported that the main bazaar of Khwazakhela was closed soon after the clash. Meanwhile, two persons, Jabbar and Umar Zada, kidnapped from the Shagai Akhun Baba area of Mingora were released on Friday. The security forcesí convoy came under fire from unidentified assailants on the Mingora-Saidu Sharif road. The two sides exchanged fire for some time but there was no word on casualties
Taliban attack security forces checkpost in Swat
white_pawn
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Mohmand clash kills 16 militants
Militants attacked a Pakistani security post in the Mohmand tribal region on Saturday, triggering a battle that left 16 assailants and two troops dead, DawnNews reported.
The incident early Saturday in the region where the army recently declared victory over militants who had begun to threaten the nearby city of Peshawar also injured three troops, said Syed Ahmad Jan, a senior administrator in Mohmand.
Our security forces returned fire after coming under attack this morning, and when the insurgents escaped they left the bodies of 13 of their comrades, Jan told AP.
The army claimed earlier this year to have dismantled Taliban mini-states in Mohmand and the neighboring Bajaur region.
Pakistani troops are currently battling militants in Buner, a district much closer to the capital.
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Mohmand clash kills 16 militants
Militants attacked a Pakistani security post in the Mohmand tribal region on Saturday, triggering a battle that left 16 assailants and two troops dead, DawnNews reported.
The incident early Saturday in the region where the army recently declared victory over militants who had begun to threaten the nearby city of Peshawar also injured three troops, said Syed Ahmad Jan, a senior administrator in Mohmand.
Our security forces returned fire after coming under attack this morning, and when the insurgents escaped they left the bodies of 13 of their comrades, Jan told AP.
The army claimed earlier this year to have dismantled Taliban mini-states in Mohmand and the neighboring Bajaur region.
Pakistani troops are currently battling militants in Buner, a district much closer to the capital.
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Mohmand clash kills 16 militants
ajpirzada
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Militants forced to free 11 kidnapped soldiers
Saturday, May 02, 2009
By our correspondent
DIR: Militants kidnapped 11 soldiers of the Dir Levies in the wee hours of Friday, but locals forced them to free the hostages while they were being shifted to a mountainous hideout.
The people of the area said the militants overpowered the Levies personnel stationed at Paraw area of the town at 2:00 am on Friday.
Around 40 militants attacked the headquarters of the Levies while dozens of their colleagues had taken positions on various points to provide them backing.The militants also snatched dozens of rifles from the Levies men. They were being shifted to their mountainous hideout when the people of Rokhan and Hayagay, locals said, challenged the militants.
The people asked the militants to release all the hostages unconditionally or else face a clash with them. Locals said the militants were in a large number but the people outnumbered them. After talks, the militants agreed on setting the hostages free at Friday noon.
The DCO and the DPO were not available for comments on the incident, which was the first of its kind in the Upper Dir district.The kidnapped officials were identified as Subedar Rahim Khan, Fazl Wahid, Jawad Ali, Ghausur Rahman, Abdul Qayyum, Muhammad Nawaz, Noor Wali, Sirajuddin, Bahadar Sher, Ibrahim and Inamullah.
The militants are desperate to bring the administration and defiant people to their knees in the district. People in Miana Doog have blocked the road leading to five villages of Doog Darra, where militants are believed to be hiding.
Early this year, people in the same area forced the militants to release a former Afghan official. In the first week of last month, the militants killed five police officials near Sheringal. They damaged a bridge at Khwago Oba on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia warns of regional war
talibans have started feelin the heat... great. now whoz side are locals at???
Saturday, May 02, 2009
By our correspondent
DIR: Militants kidnapped 11 soldiers of the Dir Levies in the wee hours of Friday, but locals forced them to free the hostages while they were being shifted to a mountainous hideout.
The people of the area said the militants overpowered the Levies personnel stationed at Paraw area of the town at 2:00 am on Friday.
Around 40 militants attacked the headquarters of the Levies while dozens of their colleagues had taken positions on various points to provide them backing.The militants also snatched dozens of rifles from the Levies men. They were being shifted to their mountainous hideout when the people of Rokhan and Hayagay, locals said, challenged the militants.
The people asked the militants to release all the hostages unconditionally or else face a clash with them. Locals said the militants were in a large number but the people outnumbered them. After talks, the militants agreed on setting the hostages free at Friday noon.
The DCO and the DPO were not available for comments on the incident, which was the first of its kind in the Upper Dir district.The kidnapped officials were identified as Subedar Rahim Khan, Fazl Wahid, Jawad Ali, Ghausur Rahman, Abdul Qayyum, Muhammad Nawaz, Noor Wali, Sirajuddin, Bahadar Sher, Ibrahim and Inamullah.
The militants are desperate to bring the administration and defiant people to their knees in the district. People in Miana Doog have blocked the road leading to five villages of Doog Darra, where militants are believed to be hiding.
Early this year, people in the same area forced the militants to release a former Afghan official. In the first week of last month, the militants killed five police officials near Sheringal. They damaged a bridge at Khwago Oba on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia warns of regional war
talibans have started feelin the heat... great. now whoz side are locals at???
ajpirzada
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get ready for another operation in swat.
Curfew in Shangla as troops take positions
Saturday, 02 May, 2009 | 03:19 PM PST | Security forces had reached the Shangla Top for onward deployment at some important sites in Alpuri. — AP SHANGLA: Security forces moved into Shangla district Saturday after reported activities of militants in parts of the region.
Troops were also marching into Khawazakhela and other parts of the troubled Swat Valley, an indication that perhaps a major show down is in the offing in the valley.
A short term curfew was imposed in the Alpuri Tehsil of Shangla District after security forces moved into the area, well-placed sources told DawnNews.
Sources and eyewitnesses said security forces had reached the Shangla Top for onward deployment at some important sites in Alpuri, headquarter of Shangla district.
Militants have also kidnapped a number of people in Shangla besides killing a local government representative.
Earlier, in Swat, local Taliban kidnapped tehsil municipal officer Rozi Raheem along with his son from Mingora's Sharifabad area, officials told DawnNews.
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Curfew in Shangla as troops take positions
Curfew in Shangla as troops take positions
Saturday, 02 May, 2009 | 03:19 PM PST | Security forces had reached the Shangla Top for onward deployment at some important sites in Alpuri. — AP SHANGLA: Security forces moved into Shangla district Saturday after reported activities of militants in parts of the region.
Troops were also marching into Khawazakhela and other parts of the troubled Swat Valley, an indication that perhaps a major show down is in the offing in the valley.
A short term curfew was imposed in the Alpuri Tehsil of Shangla District after security forces moved into the area, well-placed sources told DawnNews.
Sources and eyewitnesses said security forces had reached the Shangla Top for onward deployment at some important sites in Alpuri, headquarter of Shangla district.
Militants have also kidnapped a number of people in Shangla besides killing a local government representative.
Earlier, in Swat, local Taliban kidnapped tehsil municipal officer Rozi Raheem along with his son from Mingora's Sharifabad area, officials told DawnNews.
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Curfew in Shangla as troops take positions
linkinpark
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Pakistan Says It Killed 50 Taliban in a Clash, but Residents Say Civilians Died
By CARLOTTA GALL
PULO DAND, Pakistan The Pakistani military said it had killed more than 50 Taliban fighters in tough fighting in Buner on Friday, but families pouring out of the district said civilians were being killed, too.
People were asked not to leave their houses, said Abdul Bakht, 40, a farmer from Ambela, who had fled here to the south. But the problem is they have not fired on a single Talib yet. All they are doing is hitting the houses.
He and other civilians caught in the operation, just in its fourth day, were already complaining of heavy-handed tactics by the Pakistani military, which has little training in counterinsurgency.
A military spokesman claimed steady progress in the operation but also said the militants were putting up fierce resistance.
The civilian complaints and the Taliban resistance pointed to the difficult task ahead for the military in driving the militants from Buner, a district just 60 miles from the capital, where hundreds of Taliban fighters advanced last week, setting off alarm here and abroad.
Trying to revive a peace accord with the Taliban from February, government officials restarted talks with Maulana Sufi Muhammad, the religious cleric who helped mediate the deal.
The provincial government said it was committed to appointing Islamic judges as part of the deal covering the Swat Valley and Buner. Maulana Muhammad, despite his protest at the military operation, promised the militants would lay down their weapons once Islamic law was in force.
But in what is clearly a two-pronged approach by the Pakistani authorities, military operations also intensified.
The military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, said forces had succeeded in opening up access from the west to Buners central town of Daggar and were close to linking up from the south after heavy fighting at the Ambela Pass.
At least 55 militants had been killed in fighting in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total killed so far to more than 100, he said. Two members of the paramilitary Frontier Corps were killed and eight wounded in a house rigged with explosives, he said.
Militants were using antiaircraft weapons mounted on cars and recoilless rifles, and army helicopters had focused attacks on militants in cars and motorcycles on the roads.
Yet accounts from people fleeing the region said that civilians were being caught up in the fighting in Ambela and on the roads. Taliban militants had strong positions in the hills and could still resist the military advance, they said.
Villagers traveled on foot and along country roads to reach this village in the neighboring district of Swabi on Friday, their belongings piled on small vans with women and children, and even cows, packed together inside.
Officials from Al Khidmat Foundation, a religious humanitarian organization assisting the families, said more than a thousand vehicles had ferried families out in just one day.
In one house that was hit, two children died, a woman lost both legs, and a man was so seriously wounded that the family had already dug his grave and were waiting for him to die, Mr. Bakht, the farmer, said.
Three men, who tried to drive toward the military to ask them to stop firing on the houses, were also killed when a helicopter fired rockets on their car, Mr. Bakht said. A fourth man was wounded.
Two of those killed were government school examiners from the nearby Swat Valley who were in Buner to conduct school examinations when the operation started. One of the dead men was a friend of Mr. Bakhts.
Instead of stopping the bombardment, they fired on the car, he said. There is still a curfew and their bodies are still there on the road.
A laborer, Hakim Noor, said, We thought if they can bring peace we are happy with the army but now it seems they are hitting houses. He who left his village Kowgah two days ago.
His uncle Jamal Noor, who escaped the village on Friday, said there was shooting in the upper part of the village and helicopters were firing rockets at the houses. Helicopters were also landing in the hills behind where the Taliban had positions.
Now they will increasingly hit the villages as now they think they are empty and the Taliban will come down into them, Mr. Noor said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/world/asia/02pstan.html
By CARLOTTA GALL
PULO DAND, Pakistan The Pakistani military said it had killed more than 50 Taliban fighters in tough fighting in Buner on Friday, but families pouring out of the district said civilians were being killed, too.
People were asked not to leave their houses, said Abdul Bakht, 40, a farmer from Ambela, who had fled here to the south. But the problem is they have not fired on a single Talib yet. All they are doing is hitting the houses.
He and other civilians caught in the operation, just in its fourth day, were already complaining of heavy-handed tactics by the Pakistani military, which has little training in counterinsurgency.
A military spokesman claimed steady progress in the operation but also said the militants were putting up fierce resistance.
The civilian complaints and the Taliban resistance pointed to the difficult task ahead for the military in driving the militants from Buner, a district just 60 miles from the capital, where hundreds of Taliban fighters advanced last week, setting off alarm here and abroad.
Trying to revive a peace accord with the Taliban from February, government officials restarted talks with Maulana Sufi Muhammad, the religious cleric who helped mediate the deal.
The provincial government said it was committed to appointing Islamic judges as part of the deal covering the Swat Valley and Buner. Maulana Muhammad, despite his protest at the military operation, promised the militants would lay down their weapons once Islamic law was in force.
But in what is clearly a two-pronged approach by the Pakistani authorities, military operations also intensified.
The military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, said forces had succeeded in opening up access from the west to Buners central town of Daggar and were close to linking up from the south after heavy fighting at the Ambela Pass.
At least 55 militants had been killed in fighting in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total killed so far to more than 100, he said. Two members of the paramilitary Frontier Corps were killed and eight wounded in a house rigged with explosives, he said.
Militants were using antiaircraft weapons mounted on cars and recoilless rifles, and army helicopters had focused attacks on militants in cars and motorcycles on the roads.
Yet accounts from people fleeing the region said that civilians were being caught up in the fighting in Ambela and on the roads. Taliban militants had strong positions in the hills and could still resist the military advance, they said.
Villagers traveled on foot and along country roads to reach this village in the neighboring district of Swabi on Friday, their belongings piled on small vans with women and children, and even cows, packed together inside.
Officials from Al Khidmat Foundation, a religious humanitarian organization assisting the families, said more than a thousand vehicles had ferried families out in just one day.
In one house that was hit, two children died, a woman lost both legs, and a man was so seriously wounded that the family had already dug his grave and were waiting for him to die, Mr. Bakht, the farmer, said.
Three men, who tried to drive toward the military to ask them to stop firing on the houses, were also killed when a helicopter fired rockets on their car, Mr. Bakht said. A fourth man was wounded.
Two of those killed were government school examiners from the nearby Swat Valley who were in Buner to conduct school examinations when the operation started. One of the dead men was a friend of Mr. Bakhts.
Instead of stopping the bombardment, they fired on the car, he said. There is still a curfew and their bodies are still there on the road.
A laborer, Hakim Noor, said, We thought if they can bring peace we are happy with the army but now it seems they are hitting houses. He who left his village Kowgah two days ago.
His uncle Jamal Noor, who escaped the village on Friday, said there was shooting in the upper part of the village and helicopters were firing rockets at the houses. Helicopters were also landing in the hills behind where the Taliban had positions.
Now they will increasingly hit the villages as now they think they are empty and the Taliban will come down into them, Mr. Noor said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/world/asia/02pstan.html
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