Swat Operation II

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

People of three districts stand up against militants​

Saturday, August 16, 2008
By Shaukat Ali & Delawar Jan

DAGGAR/ PESHAWAR: In an unprecedented development, an armed Lashkar in Buner district recently hunted down and killed six militants allegedly involved in killing cops in Kingargali. The operation shows that the people of Buner, Dir Upper and Dir Lower have stood up against the Taliban militants sneaking into these hitherto peaceful areas after Bajaur and Swat military operations.

A grand Jirga of the elders of Maidan area in Lower Dir district's headquarters, Timergara, asked more than 150 foreign fighters and their tribal Taliban supporters to leave the area or face strong action from the local people.

A similar Jirga in Barawal, a town of Dir Upper district, sharing border with Afghanistan, warned the militants to stay away from the area or they would take up arms against them. The Buner incident took place on Khel Mountain in Shalbandai when hundreds of local people picked up arms, locally called 'Appa', on information of the presence of the Taliban militants, who had brutally killed eight policemen in Kingargali last Friday.

The armed Lashkar of 200 locals threw a cordon around the militants and asked them to surrender but the Taliban challenged it. The official sources told 'The News' that the militants' refusal triggered a gunfight and they hurled hand grenades at the Lashkar, prompting a retaliatory action from local armed men, which resulted in the killing of all the six militants.

Three members of the Lashkar sustained injuries in the clash. Four among the militants were locals, hailing from Daggar, the district headquarters of Buner, while the identity of two could not be ascertained till the filing of this report.

However, the local militants were identified as Azim, son of Said Karim, Usman Ghani, son of Said Muhammad, Rahman Said, son of Ali Khan, and Bahram. After confirming the identity of the militants, the local police raided the house of Badshah Khan in Daggar and recovered rifles snatched from the cops killed in Kingargali. The police sources said the rifles included one LMG, two G-3s, two Kalashnikovs and one gas-gun.

They did not rule out the presence of more militants in the area but said they would be dealt with sternly. The militants affiliated to Fazlullah had carried out four attacks on the police during the last six months, of which the Kingargali incident remains the deadliest.

The people of Buner, who have staunchly opposed the deployment of security forces, assured the government that they would deal with the militants and warned the Taliban to stay away from the peaceful district.

The vehicle (IDK 5188) allegedly used in the incident was also recovered and the Lashkar asked those living in mountains to immediately inform the elders should they see any militant group in their respective areas.

Also on Tuesday, the gunship helicopters were called in Hisar when some suspected Taliban fighters were spotted in the area. The choppers shelled the suspected spots but no casualty was reported. However, the Lashkar confronted the militants head-on at Khel mountain when they were sighted roaming around there on Wednesday.

The people in their Jirgas, which they had been holding since Friday in various villages, volunteered 20-25 men from every village to protect their areas. The also vowed to protect police stations and posts, the locals said. Also, a grand Jirga held on August 9, which was attended by representatives of all the parties and the TNSM, had warned the Taliban to stop their militant activities in the district.

Over 150 foreign fighters and hundreds of Taliban are believed to have slipped into the Maidan area in the wake of a military operation in their Bajaur stronghold. The locals were already patrolling Sarlara and Kalpani areas to contain the insurgents. The Jirga agreed that if the militants did not meet the two-day deadline, they would volunteer 50 men from every village to raise a force for fighting the Taliban.

In Barawal area of Dir Upper district, where some miscreants claiming affiliation with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have circulated threatening letters, a Jirga attended by the district Nazim, DCO, DPO and elders of the area vowed not to let the Taliban militants enter the area.

"The schools and other government buildings will be protected at all costs. The people said they favour enforcement of Shariah, but not through the destruction of our own country," the district Nazim Sahibzada Tariqullah said.

Tariq said the people in Nihagdara, bordering the militant-infested Peuchar and other areas had already declared that they would treat the Taliban mercilessly, if they tried to enter the district. He said the security forces were not welcomed, as locals would take care of the militants.

People of three districts stand up against militants

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The biggest misrepresentation of the situation, often articulated by Western and Indian analysts/commentators, is the attempt to cast the Taliban as some sort of 'seperatist' movement of the Pashtun.

Perhaps the idea is to try and tie this into Ralph Peter's drivel about the "Greater Middle East' and redrawing the map of the region, and casting the Taliban as 'separatists' serves to validate the argument made by Ralph Peters.

Both recent opinion polls and events on the ground such as these indicate that the Taliban have little grassroots support. Where they do, it is primarily out of fear, or in small enclaves within their sub-tribes in some cases.

 

[fatman17]

^^^the govt should strongly support these tribals with economic and development funds.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Hoti refuses to give amnesty to militants​

Updated at: 1300 PST, Thursday, August 21, 2008
PESHAWAR: NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti says government will not behave like a silent spectator on terrorists’ attacks at state buildings and security forces.

He said terrorists would not be given amnesty even if they agreed to lay down their arms.

Talking to Geo News, Hoti said NWFP government should not be blamed for failure of talks in Swat and put the responsibility on Taliban for scrapping of peace agreement.

“If extremists will carry out attacks on security forces, schools and state buildings, how, government can sit silent on this situation, he questioned. Army has been called to stop such attacks, said Hoti.

Answering a question, he said extremists would not be given general amnesty even if they lay down their arms. However, he said people involved in small crimes could be spared.

The chief minister further said his government was still committed to its philosophy of non-violence but whole province can not be handed over to Taliban. “There is presence of foreign Taliban in tribal areas, he said, adding they were responsible for poor law and order situation.

About NWFP governor, Hoti said Owais Ghani is the best person as governor and his government wants to retain him.

He further suggested that all parties should unanimously name the next president.

Hoti refuses to give amnesty to militants

--------------------------------------

Good to hear strong words in support of maintaining the writ of the government from the ANP - unlike the MMA whose leaders would only cry about 'killing fellow Muslims' and even evoke 'ethnic card'.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Security forces kill 40 militants in fierce clashes after suicide attack​

* Three policemen, two civilians including a child killed as Taliban attack police stations
* Militants blow up three bridges in Matta and Deoli

MINGORA: Security forces on Saturday killed 40 militants in one of the fiercest battles in Swat so far, pounding their positions with artillery and helicopter gunships after Taliban killed three policemen and a civilian in a suicide attack on a police station, officials said.

“Forty militants were killed in the Kabal tehsil trying to ambush advancing troops,” a regional military spokesman said, adding that they included a top militant commander.

According to the spokesman, two soldiers also died in the clashes.

An indefinite curfew was imposed across the Swat district and the local administration said it was planning a search operation to purge the area of militants.

Police stations: The clashes came after a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a police station in the Charbagh area, DSP Ali Rehmat said.

Security contingents and rescuers arrived at the blast scene soon after the incident and carried out relief work.

Rehmat denied initial reports that said 15 policemen were killed in the attack.

“Some 20 shops near the police station were also destroyed,” said the police official. Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan claimed responsibility for the attack. He told reporters by telephone from an undisclosed location that the attack was a reaction to the security forces’ operation against Taliban in the Kabal and Matta tehsils.

Militants also blew up with dynamite an abandoned police station in the Barikot area, leaving two dead, including a girl, local residents said.

Three bridges: Also on Saturday, pro-Taliban militants blew up three bridges and a checkpost in the Matta and Deoli areas, the state-run APP news agency said. No casualties were reported. staff report/app

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Govt and army co-ordinating action: Khattak​

By Iqbal Khattak

PESHAWAR: The NWFP government and the army are “co-ordinating operations against militants” in the settled districts and Tribal Areas of the province, the NWFP chief minister’s peace envoy Afrasiab Khattak said on Friday.

“The regional military leadership exchanges information with the provincial government,” Khattak, who co-ordinates peace efforts in the province between the NWFP and the federal governments, said in an interview.

Regional military commanders acknowledged the close co-ordination with the provincial government. One military commander said, “Political support is very vital for a military action.”However, Khattak said the NWFP government of the Awami National Party (ANP) was not consulted during policymaking concerning the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

Afrasiab said the September 6 presidential election was more crucial for the ANP than the judges‘ issue, and expressed hope that the new president would address the FATA problem as a priority because otherwise a restive FATA could “trigger a regional or world war”, but did not elaborate how.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

This really has been one of Gen. Kiyani's outstanding achievements, to win over the nationalist ANP and other parties, to completely take on board the civilian decision makers, even if it had to come at the expense of letting go hard earned gains in both FATA and Swat when political pressures demanded teh new GoP attempt peace deals again.

 

[batmannow]

GEO Pakistan
MPA’s brother among 10 killed in Swat rocket attack
Updated at: 0938 PST, Monday, August 25, 2008

SWAT: At least 10 people were killed including brother of ANP's MPA in missile attack in Swat here on Monday.

Taliban attacked the house of the brother of a ruling party MP with rockets in Shah Derai area of Tehsil Kabba, killing 10 people.

The house of Iqbal Ahmed Khan, brother of an MPA Waqar Ahmed Khan completely destroyed in the attack while Iqbal Khan, his two sons and seven guards were also killed.

Meanwhile, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed the responsibility. In a statement issued here on Monday, TTP spokesman Haji Muslim Khan said attack was revenge of innocent people killed in Kabbal operation.

 

[ejaz007]

Army kills 23 militants, four ‘spies’ slaughtered

PESHAWAR: The army said it killed 23 militants during an operation in the restive Swat valley on Thursday. Army spokesman Maj Murad Khan said the insurgents died in three separate clashes in Swat, where the military is engaged with militants since early this month. Khan said helicopter gunships fired on militants riding in two vehicles and on a suspected hideout. He said no security forces had been killed. Meanwhile, militants killed four people they suspected of spying on them. They killed one person in Charbagh, one in Ali Gram and two in Koza Banda in Kabal tehsil of Swat district. ap

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[batmannow]

GEO TV is just reported, that mulana FAZULUR RHEMAN and FATA mna s demanded, from PPP , if ppp need thier support for ASIF ZARDARI s presidency , govt must stop its opreations in FATA and else where (SAWT) IMMEDIATLY.

Also, GEO TV. reporting that , maybe in the evening a ceasefire would be reached.
Once again, same old selffish kind of politics, black mailing, i guss if this is going to happen today then, i only can say this "PAKISTAN KA KHUDAA HAFIZ"

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I am strongly hoping that the News posted about a potential cessation of action against the taliban is not going to transpire exactly as is implied.

Jets continue to pound Taliban hideouts in Swat ​

Islamabad: At least 22 militants, including some commanders, were killed late Friday in an air strike by Pakistan's military in the troubled northwest Swat valley, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP.

“Fighter jets struck the militants' hideouts in Peochar, killing 22,” he said.
Abbas confirmed that several militant hideouts were also destroyed in action on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Governor of NWFP Owais Ghani gave indications of positive developments along the Bajaur front. According to Ghani, a 'tribal army' had been assembled to tackle militants in the region.

Ghani also argued that the Tehreek-i-Taliban were working to destabilise the only nuclear armed Islamic nation in the world.

The situation in Kurram continued to deteriorate however with seven more killed and 15 injured in another day of fierce tribal fighting, bringing the total regional death-toll to 470, according to DawnNews.

It has been learnt that a cease-fire has been offered in Kurram during the month of Ramadan. It remains to be seen if it will be agreed upon.

DAWN.COM | NWFP | Jets continue to pound Taliban hideouts in Swat

Lets see how this Lashkar works out.

 

[Neo]

Pakistan jets kill 40 Taliban in new fighting​

By Asif Shahzad, AP
Sat Aug 30, 2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Fighter jets bombed Taliban hide-outs in Pakistan's troubled northwest while troops pushed into militant territory on the ground, killing at least 40 insurgents in a 24-hour siege, the army said Saturday.

Separately, five others died when an explosion ripped through a house near the Afghan border, local officials said. Claims that it was a missile strike could not immediately be confirmed.

Pakistan's five-month-old civilian government has been plagued by violence and political instability since Pervez Musharraf was forced to resign as president two weeks ago, adding to the many challenges ahead in the Muslim nation of 160 million people.

The economy is sinking, power outages are common, there are food shortages, and many drivers cannot afford to fill up their tanks.

But with a string of suicide bombings, including one that left 67 dead near the capital, Islamabad, tackling extremism is a priority.

Leaders initially offered to hold peace talks with insurgents — something Musharraf also briefly tried before his ouster — but have since resorted to what some are calling all-out war.

Army spokesman Maj. Nasir Ali said at least 40 Taliban were killed Friday when fighter jets pounded militants in Swat Valley, which was a popular tourist destination not long ago.

A cache of ammunition exploded when it was hit in one of the strikes, he said, adding that ground troops were advancing into the region Saturday to root out other militant fighters.

Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said eight of his men, including a local commander, were killed.

The violence followed news that Asif Ali Zardari, who seems poised to be voted Pakistan's next president in a Sept. 6 election by lawmakers, had moved into a tightly guarded government compound because of security fears.

His late wife, Benazir Bhutto, a two-time former prime minister and an outspoken critic of Islamic extremism, was assassinated in a Dec. 27 gun-and-bomb attack during a campaign rally.

Officials say that fighting in Swat and Bajur, a rumored hide-out of Osama bin Laden, have left nearly 500 militants dead in August alone. There are no separate statistics for civilians, but witnesses say dozens have died.

More than 200,000 others have been forced to flee their homes, most of them women and children, and are now living in desperate conditions in sweltering, mosquito-infested relief camps.

Human rights groups expressed concern Saturday about the rising violence.

Locals "insist there is no targeted operation against militants, rather it is a haphazard armed invasion on the people of Swat," Asma Jahangir, chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, wrote in a letter to the prime minister.

"They have given numerous examples where militants could have been apprehended or attacks on civilians could have been averted had the security forces acted with diligence," she wrote.

In other violence Saturday, a blast ripped through a home in Wana, a main town in the South Wazirtistan tribal region, killing at least five militants, said Afzal Khan, a local official, who had no further details.

Army spokesman Major Murad Khan was also aware of the explosion, but could not confirm claims by two local intelligence officials that it was caused by a missile. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The Taliban, meanwhile, have threatened to intensify a campaign of suicide bombings unless military operations in the northwest cease. They have carried out three strikes in recent days, the deadliest on one of the country's largest weapons factories.

At least 67 people were killed in those twin suicide bombings and more than 100 others wounded, almost all civilians.

 

[fatman17]

THE OPS ARE BEING TERMINATED BY THE GOVT. DUE TO THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADHAN AND THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS ON SEPT 6TH AS PER THE DEMANDS OF THE 22 FATA MNA'S.
I WONDER WHICH HOLDS PRIORITY?

 

[ejaz007]

Swat Taliban reject govt truce offer
Monday, September 01, 2008
Bajaur Taliban welcome Ramazan ceasefire, release six troops as goodwill gesture
By Musa Khankhel

MINGORA: Taliban operating under the command of Maulana Fazlullah in Swat Valley continued their militant activities on Sunday, rejecting the government's announcement of a ceasefire.

The militants destroyed four abandoned bungalows of PML-Q's local leader, Haroon Rashid, with explosives in Koza Banda area of Kabal Tehsil. Unknown assailants had attacked the grandson of Haroon Rashid after which the family vacated the bungalows and shifted to another area.

In the same locality, a civilian, Khursheed died when a mortar shell hit him on his way home. Gunship choppers continued to pound the suspected positions of the Taliban militants in different areas of Kabal and Matta. However, no loss of life was reported.

Shelling in Bara Bandai and Ningwalai areas caused injuries to three persons, including two children, while several houses were also damaged. The injured were rushed to hospital. Meanwhile, Swat Taliban spokesman, Muslim Khan rejected the government's announcement of a ceasefire during the holy month of Ramazan.

"The government should show respect for the entire Holy Quran and announce the enforcement of Shariah on the first Ramazan," he said, adding the ceasefire announcement was made by the government, not by Taliban.

"The decision about a ceasefire will be made by our central Shura. We don't believe in ceasefire but want permanent peace in the region which is not possible until the enforcement of Shariah," he said. He added that they could not guarantee peace in the area until the implementation of the peace accord signed on May 21.

The government, he said, should announce enforcement of Shariah, withdraw the Army, release Taliban prisoners and compensate the people for the losses they suffered during military operation. "We are engaged in Jihad and its importance increases 70-fold in Ramazan," he added.

Agencies add: A private television channel on Sunday broadcast footage of what militants said were 38 security forces members abducted by them from Swat in late July.

The footage showed the hostages' legs were chained while men carrying AK-47 rifles and wearing black scarves over their faces guarded them.Meanwhile, Taliban militants freed six paramilitary soldiers and pledged not to attack others in a "goodwill gesture" to mark the start of Ramazan.

The rebels, who have been holding 30 paramilitary troops for a month in the Bajaur Agency, which has seen heavy fighting with government forces in recent weeks, drew lots to free six of them, a spokesman said.

"We have released them respecting the holy month of Ramazan and welcome a ceasefire offer by the government during the fasting month," Maulvi Omar, the spokesman for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), told AFP.

The freed soldiers have been handed over to tribal elders, Omar said by telephone. Omar said the TTP would not target government forces during Ramazan. "We will not do anything if the government stops operations against us. We will not attack them, if they do not fire at us," he said, adding that a similar truce will soon be announced in the restive Swat Valley.

Swat Taliban reject govt truce offer

 

[Neo]

Pakistan missed chance to capture al-Qaeda deputy chief ​

Islamabad - Pakistani security forces recently missed a chance to capture al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, an official said Tuesday.

Rehman Malik, security advisor to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, said Zawahiri's wife was once located in Mohmand tribal direct but the couple was not found when troops raided the place.

"We certainly had traced him at one place, but we missed the chance. So he is moving in Mohmand and, of course, sometimes in Kunar, mostly in Kunar and Paktia (provinces of Afghanistan)," Malik was quoted as saying by the English-language Dawn newspaper.

He did not specify when the incident took place.

Malik's claim has raised some questions as in the past some media reports suggested that Zawahiri's wife, Azza, and three daughters were killed in a bomb strike on Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, in December 2001, days after US-led forces invaded the country following al-Qaeda's attacks in United States.

Malik did not explain if he was talking about Zawahiri's wife Azza, or some other woman he has married recently.

Egyptian al-Zawahiri is under indictment in the United States for his role in the 1998 US embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. The United States is offering a reward of up to 25 million dollars for information about his whereabouts.

Pakistan's top security official, Malik, also said the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organization for several militants groups, was "an extension of al-Qaeda".

TTP is based in North-Western Frontier Province and Pakistan's tribal region, a known sanctuary of al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters launching cross-border raids on US-led forces in Afghanistan.

"We have no doubt in our minds now that al-Qaeda and the Tehrik-e-Taliban are one and the same thing. The nexus between the TTP and al-Qaeda is there and their activities are continuing," Malik said.

Pakistani troops have in recent weeks conducted a major security operation against the pro-Taliban militants in Bajaur agency, which adjoins Mohmand tribal district.

According to official figures, more than 560 militants have been killed in the action. But the operation was halted after lawmakers from the tribal belt threatened to withdraw their support for Asif Ali Zardari in presidential elections to be held on September 6.

Zardari, widower of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, is the nominee of the Pakistan Peoples Party that leads the government. (dpa)

 

[RabzonKhan]

12 militants, four women killed in Swat bombing

September 03, 2008

* 50 injured as jets pound militant positions
* Gunmen kill cop in Mingora
* Militants destroy market owned by ANP leader in Matta

MINGORA: Twelve suspected militants and four women were killed on Tuesday as fighter jets bombed suspected Taliban positions in the Swat valley.

Nearly 50 people were injured in the bombing, in the Ghat, Piochar and Sar areas of Matta tehsil. Locals said a Taliban post in Ghat area and several private shops were destroyed.

The air strike came despite an offer of truce during Ramazan announced by the government this weekend.

A senior security official said fighter jets bombed the area following intelligence reports that leaders of pro-Taliban cleric Mullah Fazlullah’s group were hiding there.

“We are not sure if any leader was among 10 killed in the air strike,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP. Chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas confirmed the bombing but said he did not have details of casualties.

Civilians injured in the bombing were taken to Matta Hospital. More.

 

[batmannow]

THE OPS ARE BEING TERMINATED BY THE GOVT. DUE TO THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADHAN AND THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS ON SEPT 6TH AS PER THE DEMANDS OF THE 22 FATA MNA'S.
I WONDER WHICH HOLDS PRIORITY?

GEO Pakistan
PM safe after firing at his motorcade
Updated at: 1643 PST, Wednesday, September 03, 2008 RAWALPINDI: The Prime Minister’s vehicle was partially damaged when two bullets struck its window glass here at Islamabad highway today.

According to the Prime Minister House, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani and members of his entourage were safe after firing on his motorcade on the Islamabad Highway.

Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik has ordered an enquiry into the incident and submission of its report within 24 hours.

According to the sources, the place of the incident is a security zone and that the Prime Minister’s vehicle was a specific target of the fire.

Federal minister for information told that the Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani escaped completely unscathed and is now busy in his routine engagements.

It may be recalled that the Prime minister was returning to Islamabad today after completing his visit to Lahore when his motorcade came under attack at a place near Chaklala Airport.

Security of the prime minister has been put on high alert after the incident.


GEO Pakistan
Swat militants claim responsibility of attack on PM’s motorcade
Updated at: 1758 PST, Wednesday, September 03, 2008 ISLAMABAD: Swat militants have claimed responsibility of attack on Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s motorcade on Islamabad Highway.


PAKISTAN KA KHUDAA HAFIZ"