Pakistan moves 100,000 troops from border with India: Pentagon

[Marxist]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Pakistan has shifted 100,000 of its troops from its Indian frontier to spearhead an unprecedented crackdown on militants along the Afghan border, but the offensives are unlikely to have an immediate impact on the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said.

In a report to Congress released on April 28, the Pentagon estimated that about 140,000 Pakistani troops were taking part in offensives against militants in the semi-autonomous tribal regions, known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, and the Northwest Frontier Province, near Afghanistan.

The Pentagon, which had long pressed the Pakistanis to take on Taliban and Al-Qaeda leaders on their territory, said the recent military deployments were the biggest in the country's history on the western border.

To carry it out, Pakistan has shifted more than 100,000 troops from the eastern border with India, according to the report.

"This unprecedented deployment and thinning of the lines against India indicates that Islamabad has acknowledged its domestic insurgent threat," the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon issued the report one day before the prime ministers of India and Pakistan are due to hold their first meeting in nine months. Washington has sought to improve frayed ties between the South Asian rivals, who have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947.

In the report, the Pentagon said Pakistani military operations in the FATA and the Waziristans have had an impact across the border, placing a "high degree of pressure on enemy forces and reduced insurgent safe haven" in eastern Afghanistan.

Recent arrests by Pakistan of Afghan Taliban leaders, including the group's No. 2, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, have "increased insurgent leaders' concern over the security of their safe havens" and created "financial and logistical" problems, it said.

A senior U.S. defense official said the arrests in Pakistan had produced "a lot of concerned chatter" among Taliban sympathizers in Afghanistan, but added, "I've not seen anything to indicate...that there is a leadership crisis in the Taliban."

The Pentagon said Islamabad's crackdown had thus far "focused almost exclusively on internal threats."

"While this evolving approach is unlikely to have significant impact on the Afghan insurgency in the short term, it offers opportunities in coming months to have a greater impact on the conflict in Afghanistan depending on how PAKMIL (Pakistani military) operations evolve," the report said.

Pakistan Launches Unprecedented Offensives Along Afghan Border - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty 2010

 

[Marxist]

'Pakistan moves 100,000 troops from border with India'

Washington, Apr 29 (PTI) Pakistan has moved 100,000 troops from its borders with India, thinning the lines, to bolster its campaign against Taliban and other militants on its restive border with Afghanistan, the Pentagon said today.

The mass shifting of troops is an acknowledgement of the fact that terrorism and internal insurgency were posing more threat to Pakistan now, the Pentagon said in a report to the US Congress.

"More than 100,000 PAKMIL troops were moved from the eastern border with India. This unprecedented deployment and thinning of the lines against India indicates that Islamabad has acknowledged its domestic insurgent threat," the department said in its latest report on Afghanistan

fullstory

 

[blueoval79]

Excellent development.....crush these terrorists ...and make sure they don't return to earth anytime soon.

 

[fatman17]

what a misleading heading to this article!

 

[Bill Longley]

Excellent development.....crush these terrorists ...and make sure they don't return to earth anytime soon.

yea we(Pakistan) should crush these terrorists and there financers weather hidden in home or financeing from neighborhood

 

[DaRk WaVe]

change the title, I thought they have started pounding NW

 

[pkd]

Pakistan moves 100,000 troops from border with India: Pentagon

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has moved 100,000 troops from its borders with India, thinning the lines, to bolster its campaign against Taliban and other militants on its restive border with Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The mass shifting of troops is an acknowledgement of the fact that terrorism and internal insurgency were posing more threat to Pakistan now, the Pentagon said in a report to the US Congress.

"More than 100,000 PAKMIL troops were moved from the eastern border with India. This unprecedented deployment and thinning of the lines against India indicates that Islamabad has acknowledged its domestic insurgent threat," the department said in its latest report on Afghanistan.

The Pentagon did not specify the regions' from where the troops had been pulled out, but said it estimated that more than 140,000 Pakistani forces were now taking part in the ongoing offensive against the Taliban in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal region, known as FATA.

The Pentagon report was issued hours before the crucial meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit.

The US Defence Department while acknowledging that Pakistani military operations in tribal areas of NWFP had placed "a high degree of pressure on militants and reduced their safe havens", but was unlikely to have an immediate impact on the US-led war in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon report said that there was a broad syndicate of extremist groups operating in the AfPak region with multiple short and long term goals.

It identified the groups as al-Qaida, Tehreek-e-Taliban and Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT) which it said threatened security of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and elsewhere.

"The three major groups include the Quetta Shura Taliban, Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG), and the Haqqani Network (HQN). These groups cooperate and coordinate at times and their areas of operations tend to be geographically and demographically determined," it said.

"They operate mainly in the Pashtun-majority areas of Afghanistan in the south and east, and in Pashtun pockets in the north. The common goals of these groups are to expel foreign forces from Afghanistan (although there is no mention of foreign fighters allied with them or al-Qaida) and to undermine the central government," the report added.

Pentagon said Pakistan military crackdown so far has focussed only on internal threats, but outlined that these could be more productive depending on how they evolve in future.

It acknowledged that Pak military had suffered attacks from terrorists in response to its successful operations.

"These attacks include mass casualty events in Mingora, SWA (South Waziristan Agency) -- close to clearing operations -- as well as in Lahore, far away from the fighting.

"While these attacks do not appear to have shaken Pakistan's commitment, they do demonstrate, for the time being, insurgent ability to continue attacks despite reported successful PAKMIL operations," said the report which runs into nearly 150 pages.

According to the report, Pak Military is beginning to acknowledge the ties and threats posed by Afghan and Pakistani Taliban.

"The Pakistani operations have focused almost exclusively on internal threats. These operations reduce the space available to all insurgent and extremists groups," it said.

"While this evolving approach is unlikely to have significant impact on the Afghan insurgency in the short term, it offers opportunities in coming months to have a greater impact on the conflict in Afghanistan, depending on how PAKMIL operations evolve," the report said.

Despite discussions regarding the possibility of transfer of Afghan Taliban captured in Pakistan to Afghanistan, most notably Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, no transfers have taken place, it said.

The PAKMIL has also offered to provide military training to Afghan army and security personnel. The Afghan Ministry of Defence (MoD) is reviewing the offer, but is evaluating it cautiously based on Afghan Government political concerns, the report said.

"In conjunction with ISAF's Operation MOSHTARAK, the Pakistan military has maintained an increased presence along Afghanistan's southern border.

"Pakistan reports these operations have succeeded in extending the writ of the Pakistan Government within the area including the former insurgent stronghold of Damadola, native home of Maulana Faqir Muhummad," it said.
Pakistan moves 100,000 troops from border with India: Pentagon - US - World - The Times of India

 

[Marxist]

what a misleading heading to this article!

change the title, I thought they have started pounding NW

i just put the original heading as on the article.heading is misleading but how to change it?

 

[F86 Saber]

i just put the original heading as on the article.heading is misleading but how to change it?

Leave it you wouldn't be able to change it unless the mods do it. BTW there is another thread with the same article and another name.

 

[Avatar]

This is a good move by Pakistan.
Good news for Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Bad news for Taliban.

 

[FreekiN]

Thats a huge number.

 

[TaimiKhan]

Whats new in this news ?? We already know there are around 150,000 military and paramilitary forces in the region from Swat to SW & NW, who are tackling the menace.

So whats the big deal this time ??

 

[Hutchroy]

Thats a huge number.

It just proves the Confidence General Kiyani has of India not Attacking Pakistan.

Congratulations to Pakistan, its Armed Forces and the Policy Makers.

 

[pakdefender]

We can easily move an additional 100,000 troops ( our total strength being 500,000 active and 500,000 reserve , MASHA ALLAH )

I think we should move an additional 100,000 in the area to crush whatever is left of these vermin once and for all and put to rest the constant itches they have in their back sides

On the indian front we should keep about 50 to 60 nuclear warheads armed and ready to fire at major indian cities and installtions and any cowardly act such as opening a new front our eastern border should be retaliated.

The Armed Froces now seem even more determined than ever to end this nusance once and for all.

 

[TechLahore]

Old news rehashed by the USG for Congress in order to create the necessary perception.

Azm-e-Nau, concurrent with the WoT, demonstrates the PA doctrine and capability of conducting a two front operation involving different kinds of enemies; insurgents and a regular army.