Operations in Dir and Buner

[Patriot]

They beheaded PA soldier yesterday and blow up a girl's school.The father of Soldier collapsed at Namaz-e-Janzah.The agreement is over.PA will attack Swat very soon.

 

[linkinpark]

Pakistani army flattening villages as it battles Taliban

CHINGLAI, Pakistan — The Pakistani army's assault against Islamic militants in Buner, in northwest Pakistan, is flattening villages, killing civilians and sending thousands of farmers and villagers fleeing from their homes, residents escaping the fighting said Monday.

"We didn't see any Taliban; they are up in the mountains, yet the army flattens our villages," Zaroon Mohammad, 45, told McClatchy as he walked with about a dozen scrawny cattle and the male members of his family in the relative safety of Chinglai village in southern Buner. "Our house has been badly damaged. These cows are now our total possessions."

Mohammad's and other residents' accounts of the fighting contradict those from the Pakistani military and suggest that the government of President Asif Ali Zardari is rapidly losing the support of those it had set out to protect.

The heavy-handed tactics are ringing alarm bells in Washington, where the Obama administration is struggling to devise a strategy to halt the militants' advances. Officials Monday talked about the need to train the Pakistani military, which has long been fixated on fighting armored battles with India, in counterinsurgency warfare, but it may be too late for that.

Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Monday that the Pakistani army in recent years has undertaken "bursts of fighting and engagement" fighting insurgents, but that its operations were "not sustained" by follow-up measures.

The army is now using force, but it also must hold and rebuild the area it conquers, he said. "There's a military piece" to the operation, he said, "but there also needs to be a hold and build aspect of it."

Another U.S. official, who closely tracks Pakistan developments, said the Pakistan army is "just destroying stuff. They have zero ability to deliver (aid) services."

"They hold villages completely accountable for the actions of a few, and that kind of operation produces a lot of (internally displaced persons) and a lot of angst," said a senior defense official. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

In Buner, the Pakistani military appears to be losing public support in a stridently anti-Taliban district whose residents had raised their own militia to defend themselves against the militants, who last month seized control of the district about 60 miles from Islamabad, the capital.

Mohammad, who'd walked for two days with his cattle to escape the offensive against the Taliban, and other farmers accused the military of using poorly directed artillery and air power to pound civilian areas.

"They shouldn't use the army in this (indiscriminate) way. They should be targeted at the Taliban," said Saed Afsar Khan, who was leaving Buner with 18 members of his family and two cows. He estimated that the army had destroyed 80 of the 400 houses in his village of Kawga, near the key battlefield of Ambela.

"I don't think they've killed even one Taliban," he said. "Only ordinary people."

As the fighting raged in Buner, a bigger battle appears likely to erupt in neighboring Swat. Late Monday, fierce gun battles broke out between the army and Taliban in the streets of Mingora, the district's main town, and a controversial three-month-old peace deal between the government and the Taliban in Swat is disintegrating.

The Taliban were reported to have surrounded 46 police officers at the local electrical grid station. Earlier in the day, they ambushed a military convoy in Swat, killing one soldier and wounding two others.

 

[Solomon2]

I've lost count of how many times have people here spat at me stuff like, "unlike you Zionists, we Pakistanis care about human beings?"

I could guess what was coming: 1971 all over again. And I don't know if this time rump Pakistan will survive.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I've lost count of how many times have people here spat at me stuff like, "unlike you Zionists, we Pakistanis care about human beings?"

I could guess what was coming: 1971 all over again. And I don't know if this time rump Pakistan will survive.

Nothing the PA has done so far comes close to Israeli atrocities.

One over the top article with a sensationalist headline does not equate Pakistani efforts with Israeli atrocities.

The 'collective punishment' the 'anonymous official' refers to was a law in accordance with Tribal customs that the tribes themselves agreed to - it wasn't forced upon them by Pakistan.

Your analogy to East Pakistan is also way off, though that is to be expected, since I doubt your aim with that comment was accuracy.

While the people will be justifiably angry about the loss of their property, there is no 'separatist' movement that they are rallying around here, or a movement for rights, and the Taliban command little popular support.

And of course the most obvious, thousands of miles of Indian territory do not separate Swat from Pakistan.

 

[Munir]

Israeli's are performing the same as what happened to them in WW2. The difference is that they do not need Zyclon B but US weapons... They can terrorize Palestinians, they can steal land, hell they can bomb souvereign nations while those do nothing else then copying the same nuke as Israeli did... What makes them less criminal? Only propaganda.

 

[Solomon2]

Nothing the PA has done so far comes close to Israeli atrocities

In the past sixty years of the Israeli-Arab conflict, the total death toll is estimated at 65,000.

In 1948 alone the death toll of the India-Pakistan conflict is estimated at 500,000, and Bangladesh's official estimate of how many were massacred in 1971 tops 3,000,000 (unofficial estimates are lower.)

Very little the PA has done so far comes close to Israeli "atrocities" - because the PA so far exceeds them. That is its record.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

In 1948 alone the death toll of the India-Pakistan conflict is estimated at 500,000, and Bangladesh's official estimate of how many were massacred in 1971 tops 3,000,000 (unofficial estimates are lower.)

There remains little actual evidence that deliberate civilian killings were anywhere close to the numbers suggested by the 'official Bangladesh account'.

So Pakistan has not come anywhere close to Israeli atrocities.

 

[Solomon2]

Do you understand how little evidence there is that Israel ever engaged in "deliberate civilian killings"? Or how few civilians Israeli forces actually have killed in its wars? Why do you think there are so many Arabs still within and surrounding Israel today, despite Israel's victories? Because Israelis don't do it, even though its enemies teach their children and others that they do.

As long as we're getting off the subject with rival versions of history, the Taliban and PA have free reign to kill and conquer, don't you think?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Do you understand how little evidence there is that Israel ever engaged in "deliberate civilian killings"? Or how few civilians Israeli forces actually have killed in its wars? Why do you think there are so many Arabs still within and surrounding Israel today, despite Israel's victories? Because Israelis don't do it, even though its enemies teach their children and others that they do.

Solomon, I am not even arguing over whether those killed in Palestine were killed deliberately - I am contesting the basic numbers presented by 'official Bangladeshi accounts', there isn't any evidence to support the numbers, let alone who killed them and whether it was deliberately.

As long as we're getting off the subject with rival versions of history, the Taliban and PA have free reign to kill and conquer, don't you think?

The Taliban definitely think so, and have touted it.

I don't see any evidence of the PA exercising 'free reign to kill and conquer'.

 

[Solomon2]

The point is that the Israel-Arab conflict just serves as a distraction from your everyday troubles.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

The point is that the Israel-Arab conflict just serves as a distraction from your everyday troubles.

I don't contest that it does, I mean what is the point of dragging Israel into the insurgency in FATA?

But at the same time I do not see the equivalence between Israel's occupation of Palestine and the insurgency in Swat - making those sorts of comparisons only serves to drag Israel into the discussion.

 

[linkinpark]

Militants attack forces convoy, police checkposts, power grid station
20 more killed in Buner operation

MINGORA: Two persons, including a soldier, were killed and seven others sustained injuries as militants attacked a security forces convoy, police checkposts and a power grid station in Swat on Monday.

Also, a mass exodus started from the villages and towns due to the latest unrest in the Swat Valley. Sources told our sources that a fierce clash followed when militants ambushed a convoy of security forces in Kota Aboha area. A soldier, whose identity could not be established, was killed and two others injured in the ensuing gunbattle.

Reports pouring in from the troubled district said the militants had taken control of Mingora city and police and security forces were restricted to police stations and camps. “Militants rule the roost in Mingora as they could be seen patrolling the roads, standing armed in almost all the squares and on rooftops of several buildings of the city. They have established bunkers on top of the buildings, including Continental Hotel, Green Plaza, Punjab Bakery, Aziz Hotel, and Cloth Market” a source wishing anonymity told our sources.

Rahimabad police station was blown up by the militants, which was earlier hit with rockets on Sunday, causing partial damage to the building.

The militants also attacked a police station, Circuit House, Commissioner’s House and a power grid station with rockets and mortars in Mingora. It was learnt that the militants later circled the power house, which led to the intense firing between the insurgents and security forces.

Security forces were facing tough resistance as they were trying to retake control of the grid station. The fierce fighting was continued till filing of this report. A man was killed and five others, whose name could not be ascertained, sustained injuries when a mortar shell landed in Nawan Killay of Mingora area.

An ISPR press release said the militants violated the peace accord and the security forces retaliated with full force. It said people were fully supporting the security forces. Also, the sources added, all the bazaars and markets remained closed because of violence and a looming military operation against militants.

Separately, the militants kidnapped police constable identified as Bakht Rahim from Salampur area near Mingora city and dynamited Government High School in Tindo Dag area of Barikot. Checkposts in Baraim and Madyan and a police post in Shamozo were also attacked by insurgents. However, there was no word on loss of life or damage to property.

Swat District Coordination Officer (DCO) Khushal Khan asked the drivers and owners of vehicles to take at least two persons along while travelling around. He urged the people to remain indoors during curfew to avoid any untoward incident.

According to Swat Media Centre, indefinite curfew was imposed in the district. AP adds: Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan claimed responsibility for the attack on convoy, saying it was in response to the alleged strengthening of military positions in the region in violation of the peace deal.

“Why do you think we should remain silent if they come heavy on us? ... We will attack them too,’’ he told The Associated Press. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said the army would not launch an offensive in Swat unless the government formally abandoned the truce.

Meanwhile, at least 20 people were reportedly killed and 36 injured in Buner as security forces continued operation on Monday.

Sources said the security forces convoys were heading towards Gagra tehsil and Kalpanai area in pursuit of the militants. Some suicide bombers reportedly attacked the convoys but there were no reports of casualties.

However, 20 people were reported to have been killed by the firing of the security forces in Gagra tehsil and 36 injured in Kalpanai area. Taliban militants claimed to have burnt a tank of the security forces in Gagra tehsil, besides snatching a pickup van from the soldiers.

One of the four security forces personnel admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital succumbed to his wounds. The District Coordination Officer (DCO), Yahya Khan, announced relaxation in curfew from 10 am - 2 pm for Tuesday.

About 290 students, who were taking intermediate exam in Government Degree College Daggar, were stranded in the exam centre due to curfew. The principal of the college, Abdul Qayum, urged the government to relax the curfew restrictions so that the stranded students and staff could go back to their homes.

Ramdad, worker at Ambela filling station, who went missing three days back, was ultimately traced out in CMH Peshawar while his family members were looking for his body as they thought he would have been dead but he had been airlifted by the security forces in helicopter to Peshawar CMH after he was injured.

Due to heavy rain in the area, most of the displaced people were stranded in Swarai, Gokand, Chagharzai, Pir Baba, Chamla and Salarzai areas. The situation was quite tense in the area. Electricity and telephone systems were damaged in the area. And people were unaware about the timing of the curfew due to the suspension of power supply and telephone exchange.

All the markets were closed and the people were facing acute shortage of food commodities. Most of the hospitals and health units were also closed and the patients were stranded in their homes where some of them were reported to have died due to no medication.

Talking to our sources by phone from an undisclosed location, Taliban commander in Buner, Maulana Muhammad Alam Khalil, said, “I am just fine and the security forces had spread rumours about my death”, and added that martyrdom was his objective.

APP adds: Meanwhile, ten militants including a top commander and two security forces were killed in Buner and Shangla on Monday, a military statement said. According to an ISPR press release the operation in Buner is progressing smoothly, as the security forces are consolidating their positions in Daggar and its surrounding areas.

The security forces targeted the militants’ hideout in Kalpanai, the press release said. Reportedly, seven militants including an important commander Afsar Hameed were killed, while one soldier embraced Shahadat and three others injured.

According to reports, the militants were using 2,000 innocent people as human shield in view of impending clearance of Pir Baba by security forces. Curfew was relaxed from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm in Buner.

The militants also attacked a checkpost of the security forces in Shangla, killing one soldier. The militants also burnt a house of DSP at Kumber (Maidan) and also took away household items from the house of Union Council Nazim, Maidan, Lower Dir, besides kidnapping few civilians from Kot Haya Sarai area of Maidan.

A vacant police checkpost at Yakhtangi, Shangla, was also destroyed by the militants, who also set three civil trucks on fire in Biladram and Chamtalai. The security forces killed three militants in Maidan, when they fired at troops.

Director General ISPR Major Gen Athar Abbas while talking to official TV channel said Taliban militants had taken civilians hostage at gun point in Buner and were using them as human shield for their protection.

He said militants had seized houses at gunpoint and using the inmates as human shield. He said Daggar was under the complete control of the security forces and Daggar-Mardan Road had been opened for transport.

He said security forces had also cleared Malandri Road. After consolidation of positions in surrounding areas of Daggar, the operation would be extended to other areas, he said. He said according to intelligence reports Taliban had made people hostage at Pir Baba and Sultanwas areas and were not allowing them to leave the area.

The DG ISPR said people had been trapped in these areas and facing difficulties due to activities of the Taliban. Replying to a question, he said from the government side the peace agreement was still intact and it wanted the process to go ahead without further bloodshed.

However, he said, the militants had been violating the agreement by continuing armed patrolling and indulging in kidnapping and killing people. “Kidnapping of security offices is open violation of the agreement,” he said.

“We are monitoring alarming statements of Taliban and updating the government officials about the changing situation. Ball is in their court, we have shown patience and tolerance for the success of the agreement.”

 

[ajpirzada]

Operation in Buner kills another 27 militants

Pakistani artillery bombarded militant positions in Pir Baba and Sultanwas areas of Buner district, 60 miles northwest of Islamabad, on Wednesday, killing 27 militants and destroying eight vehicles, military sources and Frontier Corps were quoted as saying.

‘Today artillery engaged militant locations at Pir Baba Ziarat and Sultanwas areas. About 27 militants got killed and eight vehicles got destroyed,’ the Frontier Corps said in a statement.

On April 28, Pakistan launched an offensive in Buner to flush out advancing armed Taliban fighters.

More than 200 militants have been killed in the operation, official sources said. However, it has not been possible to confirm death tolls independently, as the terrain is remote and largely cut off.
DAWN.COM | Provinces | Security forces kill 64 militants in Swat, Buner

 

[Hellfire]

Operation in Buner kills another 27 militants

Pakistani artillery bombarded militant positions in Pir Baba and Sultanwas areas of Buner district, 60 miles northwest of Islamabad, on Wednesday, killing 27 militants and destroying eight vehicles, military sources and Frontier Corps were quoted as saying.

‘Today artillery engaged militant locations at Pir Baba Ziarat and Sultanwas areas. About 27 militants got killed and eight vehicles got destroyed,’ the Frontier Corps said in a statement.

On April 28, Pakistan launched an offensive in Buner to flush out advancing armed Taliban fighters.

More than 200 militants have been killed in the operation, official sources said. However, it has not been possible to confirm death tolls independently, as the terrain is remote and largely cut off.
DAWN.COM | Provinces | Security forces kill 64 militants in Swat, Buner

in view of above, the contention that there is hesitancy on PA's side to engage effectively due to fear of being seen as US proxies will definitely hold true.

You can not sustain a policy of massive force employment in a pure CI operation. The need is to minimise the collateral damage to the personal properties, towns and villages, infrastructure etc. By employing heavy artillery and air/armoured assets PA is doing exactly the thing it says it does not want to do - get tagged as being anti-people.

can anyone please explain to me the rationale of such force being utilised? is it to merely compensate for lack of numbers?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

can anyone please explain to me the rationale of such force being utilised? is it to merely compensate for lack of numbers?

Artillery can be utilized effectively if it is accurate.

Given how many militants there are in the region, and that they are choosing to defend (instead of guerrilla hit and run tactics) this phase of the combat would be akin to a conventional light infantry battle.

So even if you avoided artillery and Attack Heli's, there would potentially be significant collateral damage given the amount of firepower that would have to be brought to bear on the insurgents to overrun them.

Infiltrating spotters etc. to target militants and engaging them with artillery and Air strikes minimizes the risk to troops with minimal increase in risk (if any) to civilians, during this phase of the operation, in my non-military opinion.

Once the area is cleared, saturation of the region with Military, paramilitary and LEA's to conduct patrols and maintain law and order, while reconstruction is carried out, would then be required.

What say?