Pakistan launches 'massive' air and ground anti-Taliban offensive

[United]

Pakistani troops on Friday began a "massive" offensive to try to push the Taliban from their last major stronghold in the mountainous northwestern region of North Waziristan, moving in from north and south, officials and residents said.

The heavily forested ravines of the Shawal Valley are pockmarked with Taliban hideouts and the valley itself is a key smuggling route into neighboring Afghanistan.

Pakistani jets began bombing the valley in the early hours, killing between six and 15 militants, four intelligence sources told Reuters.

"It is a massive military action against the Taliban militants and their allies in the Shawal mountains," said a government official who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about military operations.

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Pakistan launches 'massive' air and ground anti-Taliban offensive| Reuters

 

[RAMPAGE]

@Icarus @Xeric @blain

How do we plan to secure the border once they have been pushed back?

 

[Bratva]

@Jango @balixd I think it's first time PA entering into shawal valley in 12 year conflict ? There is no update on Datta khel either. The population of both datta khel and shawal refused to vacate during op and then there were reports of peace deal in datta khel

 

[Jango]

@Jango @balixd I think it's first time PA entering into shawal valley in 12 year conflict ? There is no update on Datta khel either. The population of both datta khel and shawal refused to vacate during op and then there were reports of peace deal in datta khel

This does seem to be some sort of final push against the militants...even if the militants aren't completely flushed out, they at least don't have a place to stay without any worries of getting bombed to hell.

 

[TaimiKhan]

This may be a very bloody fight. This area is very tough due to high altitude with forests all around. The militants have been living in this area for decades, they know it inside out and have good hiding spots. One of the reasons Army was reluctant for go in, but it seems that now there is no other way except to go in and fight them.

 

[Hyperion]

Excellent. Better late than never. God speed to our forces!

 

[Areesh]

PA should Burraq UCAV for this operation. The whole area should be 24/7 monitored by Burraq and fire missiles whenever find the target. This would frustrate the militants and would limit their movement in the region.

 

[Windjammer]

PHOTO: NEWS247

ISLAMABAD: In air strikes conducted in North Waziristan’s Shawal area by security forces Friday, 17 suspected militants were killed while three hideouts were destroyed.

The strikes came two days after the massacre of 45 Ismaili Muslims in Karachi claimed by the Taliban’s Jundullah faction which has previously reportedly allied itself to Islamic State.

Read: Zarb-e-Azb may extend to Balochistan to fight insurgents: sources

The air force jets targeted militants’ hideouts on the edge of the Afghan border in the Wareka Mandi area of Shawal district in North Waziristan, 65 kilometres west of Miranshah.

“The air force jets pounded the areas close to the Afghan border in thick forests and killed at least 17 militants. Three compounds and five vehicles were also destroyed in the action,” a security official in Miranshah told AFP.

The official said that the killed militants included Uzbek and Afghan nationals and members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Two local residents confirmed the attack to AFP.

Senior military officials based in Peshawar said they were not in a position to confirm the exact death toll but confirmed that the strikes happened in the area.

Read: Regional peace: Xi calls Zarb-e-Azb a ‘game changer’

The region is remote and off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to verify the number and identity of those killed.

As per the ongoing operations Zarb-e-Azb and Khyber-I search operations are carried out frequently in attempts to eradicate terrorism from the country.

Just last month, sources alleged that Operation Zarb-e-Azb might expand to Balochistan to fight Baloch insurgents.

 

[Hyperion]

I think there was no other option left but to go in. This is going to be a very bloody and protracted fight.

This does seem to be some sort of final push against the militants...even if the militants aren't completely flushed out, they at least don't have a place to stay without any worries of getting bombed to hell.

 

[syedali73]

Nuke the bastards. Make this land inhabitable.

 

[Rajput_Pakistani]

Is the terrain suitable for using armored?
Can we deploy MBRLs for massive firepower?
Are the exit routes on other side of forest secure or not?

 

[Mitro]

It's a common sense that army is keeping A eye on the movement of terrorist from above and from within so they already know the target and now they are pounding them no place for talibit$$es

 

[RAMPAGE]

Situational awareness will be crucial in this ops.

Sould deploy swarms of Burraqs and also WZ10s. Time to see what they've got.

 

[farhan_9909]

I have been to shawal valley in 2006

 

[Xeric]

@Icarus @Xeric @blain

How do we plan to secure the border once they have been pushed back?

A trench is already underway along the border, there are a few other things we are doing to stop the unchecked cross border movement.