The Battle for Orakzai & Khyber Agencies

[Spring Onion]

Clashes in Orakzai, Mohmand kill 46 militants

Wednesday, 09 Jun, 2010

PARACHINAR: Dozens of militants attacked a security convoy in an area near Afghanistan where Pakistan declared the Taliban defeated, sparking a battle that killed six soldiers and 40 militants, an official said Wednesday.

The clash in Orakzai tribal region illustrated the challenge facing Pakistan as it tries to oust insurgents hiding along the Afghan border. Pakistan’s declarations of success in some parts have often been premature.

Fifteen soldiers were also wounded in the late Tuesday fighting, government administration official Samiullah Khan said.

The army's offensive in Orakzai came on the heels of an operation against the Pakistani Taliban in the South Waziristan tribal area. Many militants in South Waziristan were believed to have fled to Orakzai, though the top Pakistani Taliban leaders are believed to be in North Waziristan, an area the Pakistani army has resisted attacking.

For months, the military pounded Orakzai with airstrikes, eventually staging a ground operation as well. The offensive intensified in March, with the reported daily death tolls of suspected militants sometimes in the dozens.

Information from the region has been nearly impossible to verify independently because Orakzai is remote, dangerous and access to it is severely restricted.

The army said on June 1 that Orakzai had been cleared of militants and that fleeing civilians could expect to return home soon. More than 200,000 people are believed to have poured out of the area since the end of last year.

Also Wednesday, government official Maqsood Khan said militants attacked two security checkpoints in Mohmand, another part of the tribal belt that has endured army operations. The overnight attack sparked gunbattles that killed two soldiers and six insurgents and wounded several from both sides.

 

[desiman]

Militants, troops clash in Pakistan; 54 killed

By HUSSAIN AFZAL and HABIB KHAN (AP)

PARACHINAR, Pakistan — Dozens of militants attacked a security convoy in an area near Afghanistan where Pakistan declared the Taliban defeated, sparking a battle that killed six soldiers and 40 militants, an official said Wednesday.

The clash in Orakzai tribal region illustrated the challenge facing Pakistan as it responds to U.S. pressure and tries to oust Islamist insurgents hiding along the Afghan border. Its declarations of success in some parts have often been premature.

Fifteen soldiers also were wounded in the late Tuesday fighting, government administration Samiullah Khan said.

The army's offensive in Orakzai came on the heels of an operation against the Pakistani Taliban in the South Waziristan tribal area. Many militants in South Waziristan were believed to have fled to Orakzai, though the top Pakistani Taliban leaders are believed to be in North Waziristan, an area the Pakistani army has resisted attacking.

For months, the military pounded Orakzai with airstrikes, eventually staging a ground operation as well. The offensive intensified in March, with the reported daily death tolls of suspected militants sometimes in the dozens.

Information from the region has been nearly impossible to verify independently because Orakzai is remote, dangerous and access to it is severely restricted.

The army said June 1 that Orakzai had been cleared of militants and that fleeing civilians could expect to return home soon. More than 200,000 people are believed to have poured out of the area since the end of last year.

The U.S. has praised Pakistan for pursuing army operations against militant groups on its territory. In part, that's because it does not want Pakistan to be a sanctuary for militants battling U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Also Wednesday, government official Maqsood Khan said militants attacked two security checkpoints in Mohmand, another part of the tribal belt that has endured army operations. The overnight attack sparked gunbattles that killed two soldiers and six insurgents and wounded several from both sides.


The Associated Press: Militants, troops clash in Pakistan; 54 killed

 

[Janbaz]

Its been stated earlier that opps have been conducted in Khyber/Mohmand. Then why the outburst of violence in Khyber last week between TTP and Lashkar e Islam? Isnt the area supposed to be cleansed?

Not trying to downplay the PA's success

 

[TaimiKhan]

Its been stated earlier that opps have been conducted in Khyber/Mohmand. Then why the outburst of violence in Khyber last week between TTP and Lashkar e Islam? Isnt the area supposed to be cleansed?

Not trying to downplay the PA's success

The Khyber Agency covers two major areas, the Bara division and the Jamrud division.

The problem was in Bara division more compared to Jamrud, and in Kamrud there is no specific Taliban presence or of LI guys, there the political admn is strong and the locals have not let the militants come in as it will destroy the business, smuggling business.

So in Khyber the main issue was in Bara Tehsil where LI guys reigned and TTP guys were back there on the borders of Bara and Orakzai Agency, and they were not let in to main Bara agency by the LI guys.

So when the SF did the operation, they went into the Bara area, and drived the militants out to the Tirah valley, but problem is that Tirah valley has borders with Orakzai agency as well as with Kurram agency.

So when SF comes went in, these militants moved to Orakzai agency or toward Kurram agency and at that time Orakzai was not in forces control. Even now these militants move in and out of upper orakzai agency and bara division of khybaer agency.

So till forces not fully control upper orakzai, Tirah valley can' t be cleared also as the militants will move to upper orakzai.

And the last week fighting was in between LI & TTP guys, as their relations had been strained even before also.

And same case with mohmand, militants still lurk around, especially as they have a border with Afghanistan and they move across the border, do their thing and then move back to Afghanistan.

These are vast areas, rugged mountains, plenty of places for them to hide and do their hit and run attacks.

See that nato geo documentary about the operationg being done and see the terrain.

 

[fatman17]

orakzai ops have / are been the toughest yet for the army in comparison to the previous ops in swat, dir, buner, bajaur, swa etc.

 

[GUNNER]

It's pretty clear why the TTP is putting up a fight in Orakzai. It is strategically very important and has been eversince the TTP moved in the agency. It borders settled areas like Peshawar, Kohat, Nowshehra, Hangu and the two agencies, Kurram and Khyber Agency. Another important feature is that Orakzai is the only agency which does not share a border with Afghanistan.

It gave an easy access to the TTP to sneak in and target settled cities. Hakimullah was assigned specially by Baitullah to operate from here.

The Army has so far been able to clear the lower part of the agency which has almost all the population of the agency. It also has the Kohat Tunnel, which has now been cleared.

The Upper part is hilly and rough. Conventional troop movement is not easy plus the TTP is heavily fortified. They have home advantage over the troops. They know that Army needs to clear this agency before it can move onto North Waziristan. Plus, the TTP is not really comfortable sitting in North. It's not their home ground. Also, operation in the south has bereft them of their own base. The waziris and other groups are now forcing them out from whatever areas they are in. So, Orakzai is their last real stronghold. Most of the militants including a large number of foreigners, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Chinese Ughuirs have been forced out of other agencies and would be fighting to death in Orakzai.

Also, the fact that militants have been moving to and fro from Tirah Valley of Khyber. It means that there is a constant streaming of TTP fighters. Smaller Units are pulled out from action, given some rest and then sent back.

Also, the PA is moving very slowly. Obvious reasons are that they do not want heavy casualties. So, they soften up the targets by heavy aerial strikes and artillery before sending in ground troops. Clearing an area and the consolidation by setting up perimeters is a slow process. But it is effective. It means those areas which are once cleared, cannot be entered by militants.

Despite all odds, i am sure the military is going according to it's plan.

 

[GUNNER]

Fourteen militants have been killed and twenty-one injured during military operation in Orakzai agency.

In the recent military offensive in Orakzai, security forces launched air strikes and carried out ground operations on militant hideouts.

Gunship helicopters destroyed seven hideouts. Five were targeted earlier in Ghalju, Mamozai and Dabori areas of Upper Orakzai Agency.

Heavy artillery and jet planes were used in the operation.

 

[air marshal]

 

[air marshal]

Captain Safar Qambrani of Pakistan Army who embraced martyrdom

QUETTA, Jun 10 (APP) – Captain Safar Qambrani of the Pakistan Army who embraced martyrdom while fighting the terrorist in Orakzai agency were laid to rest with full state honours at Qambrani kili here on Thursday.

Earlier, Commandant Command and Staff College Major General Khalid Rabbani received the bodies of the martyr wrapped in National flag at Khalid Base and dispatched martyr Captiain Safar Qambrani to Kili Qambrani.

Commander Southern Command Lieutenant General Javed Zia, General Officer Commanding 41 Div Major General Mohammad Saad Khatak, DC Quetta, military, civil, police officers besides the large number of members of civil society attended the last rituals of the Captain Safar Qambrani at Kili Qambrani.

A contingent of the army soldiers presented guard of honour to the slain captain. Floral wreaths were laid at the grave on behalf of President Asif Ali Zardari, Chief of Army Staff General Pervaz Kayani, Commander Southern Command Lieutenant General Javed Zia, General Officer Commanding 41 Div Major General Mohammad Saad Khatak and IGFC Balochistan Major General Saleem Nawaz.

Captain Safar Qambrani passed FSC from Tameer-e-Nau College Quetta and was commissioned in the army in 2001. He joined 38 Baloch regiment. Captain Safar was an intrepid officer who laid his life for the country while fighting the terrorists in Orakzai agency on Jun 08.

 

[fatman17]

Pakistan army rejects Amnesty report on Taliban control

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, June 11, IRNA -- Pakistan army has rejected a report by Amnesty International that millions of Pakistanis in the northwest tribal areas are subject to abuses by the Taleban.

“Nearly 4 million people are currently living under the Taleban in Pakistan in Northwest Pakistan without rule of law and effectively abandoned by the Pakistani government,” said Claudio Cordone, Amnesty International’s interim Secretary General.

The 130-page report, ‘As if Hell Fell on Me’: The Human Rights Crisis in Northwest Pakistan, is based on nearly 300 interviews with residents of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and adjacent areas of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP).

The report gives voice to those whose experiences are rarely reported and reveals the abuses faced by the region’s residents.

Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas rejected the report and said that tribesmen had supported the army’s campaign against the militants.

In his reaction to the report he said that tribal elders believe that the army has played key role in restoration of life in the tribal regions.

The Amnesty said in its report that there are still more than one million people who were displaced from their homes in Pakistan’s northwest tribal belt by the conflict with the Taleban whose plight is largely ignored and are in desperate need of aid.

Amnesty International’s review of available information also suggests that at least 1,300 civilians were killed in the fighting in northwest Pakistan in 2009, from a total of more than 8,500 casualties (including combatants).

The USA use of drones to target insurgents in northwest Pakistan has generated considerable resentment inside Pakistan.

Amnesty International has called on the USA to clarify its chain of command and rules of engagement for the use of drones and ensure proper accountability for civilian casualties.

Many displaced residents of the area told Amnesty International that they had suffered under the Taleban and felt abandoned by the Pakistani government.

 

[Mani2020]

21 militants killed

Updated at: 2315 PST, Saturday, June 12, 2010

PESHAWAR: Pakistani fighter jets have destroyed several militant hideouts in the Orakzai Agency, killing 10 insurgents.

The strikes Saturday targeted remnants of the Taliban in the Orakzai tribal region; some militants were also wounded in the attacks.

Four militants were killed and 11 killed in Mohmand Agency shelling, while a bomb also killed a boy and injured two others.

In Kurram Agency, militants' car hit a roadside bomb killing seven of them and injuring two.

Source:21 militants killed in tribal areas - GEO.tv

 

[Javed3]

21+54+46 ..... the weekly toll on the bad guys probably exceeds their total estimated numbers by now ...

Ham fisted scorched earth operations in Khyber / Orakzai may get a pat or two by the Almighty USA, the real sufferers are the innocent Pakistani citizens of these areas. With a near total blockade of food, supplies, medical aid the public is becoming almost totally alienated.

 

[TaimiKhan]

21+54+46 ..... the weekly toll on the bad guys probably exceeds their total estimated numbers by now ...

Ham fisted scorched earth operations in Khyber / Orakzai may get a pat or two by the Almighty USA, the real sufferers are the innocent Pakistani citizens of these areas. With a near total blockade of food, supplies, medical aid the public is becoming almost totally alienated.

There are no people left in those areas, and those which are left, are being taken care of by the Army as it advances.

And as they are your brethren, why don't you give us their real numbers.

 

[air marshal]

10 militants killed, 6 injured in Orakzai air raids

At least 10 militants were killed and another six wounded Monday in Orakzai tribal agency, as security forces jets pounded at militants' hideouts, destroying two in the restive northwest tribal areas of Pakistan, official sources said.

In an attempt to clean the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan of Taliban militants, Pakistani military had launched an operation in Orakzai and Kurram agencies in March this year using both ground and air firepower, killing over 1,000 militants. It has achieved significant progress in the area.

While in a recent visit to the restive region, General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani announced a victory against the militants, predicting a much awaited and long demanded military operation by the United States in the nearby North Waziristan area, which has said to be housing al-Qaeda operatives and fleeing militants from other tribal areas of Pakistan.


According to official sources 5,000 Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) have returned to the lower Orakzai after the end of operation last month. However, local sources do not see the situation much changed in the central and upper Orakzai where militants resistance is still going on.

10 militants killed, 6 injured in Orakzai air raids | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online

 

[iPhone]

No Pakistan victory in Orakzai despite hue and cry

PESHAWAR: It was a classic case of military hubris: when Pakistan announced it has defeated Taliban militants in one of their major bases recently, it was a far cry from reality in the volatile Orakzai region.

Pakistani military analysts say the victory announcement — much like US President George W. Bush's 2003 “mission accomplished” moment — was based on “miscalculations” as officers thought militants would flee the region after many of their bases were captured.

They said the declaration itself appeared to be an attempt to boost the morale of a public suffering from years of attacks, nearly constant military campaigns and few apparent results.

“The announcement looks good to the Pakistani public. The public thinks it's an endless thing, especially in Orakzai. So they probably wanted to give the people some relief,” said retired general Talat Masood, a military and security analyst.

“It was for domestic consumption. But unfortunately, this was not really the reality and their credibility is now in question. “I think it was an honest misjudgement and some unnecessary exuberance.”

Orakzai is one of the major bases of the Pakistani Taliban, which are fighting both the Pakistani state and coalition forces in Afghanistan. The precarious situation in the region highlights the challenges the Pakistani army faces in battling insurgents.

Security forces last month captured the major militant stronghold of Djabori, some 60 km (37 miles) from Orakzai's main town of Kalaya.

Soon afterwards, the Pakistan army chief, Gen. Asfaq Kayani, flew to Orakzai on June 1 and declared victory over the Taliban there, saying it is winding up its offensive there as militants have been driven out of the region.

But just a day later, fierce clashes broke out in which 20 militants were killed.
“The situation is very dangerous in Orakzai. The militants are still controlling important mountains and they can stage a comeback,” said tribal elder Lal Jan.

On June 3, dozens of militants attacked a security checkpost in the region, killing six soldiers. The government said at least 30 militants were killed fighting them off.

Since then, clashes have taken place almost daily with government officials claiming that they were inflicting losses on the militants, almost all of which are unsubstantiated and disputed by militant groups.

Analysts say large casualty figures show that insurgents are still operating in big numbers in the region, despite the hits.

“The military operation is not yet over in Orakzai,” Rahimullah Yusufzai, a newspaper editor and expert on militant affairs said. “I think they (the army) made the announcement of victory in haste.”

Residents say militants are still in control of large swathes of territory in Orakzai particularly its upper parts which now serve as a haven for militants from nearby Khyber and Kurram.

MILITANT THREAT REMAINS

Analysts say a victory in Orakzai would allow Pakistan to move troops to other hot spots like North Waziristan.

Pakistan, however, has yet to show an appetite to do so, given the volatile situation in Orakzai and elsewhere in the tribal belt.

Orakzai is one of Pakistan's seven Pashtun tribal lands in the northwest. Unlike the six other tribal regions, however, it does not border Afghanistan.

But the rugged mountainous territory provides a crucial link for militants operating in other tribal regions, as it borders the regions of Khyber and Kurram on the Afghan frontier.

Orakzai was the original base of Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud before he moved to South Waziristan to take up the Taliban leadership after the death of his predecessor, Baituallah Mehsud, in a US missile strike last year.

Pakistani security forces launched an offensive in the South Waziristan bastion of Mehsud militants in October. The offensive was extended to Orakzai in March as many of the Mehsud militants who fled the South Waziristan operation took refuge there.

Orakzai also borders Peshawar, Pakistan's main northwestern city, as well as the garrison town of Kohat. Pakistani security officials say many of the suicide and bomb attacks in both places earlier this year were orchestrated and executed by militants based in Orakzai.

After the military campaign in Orakzai, security officials say there has been a sharp decline in militant attacks in Peshawar and Kohat.

“The militants have been pushed to the remote valleys to make cities safer. This has largely been done. But they are still occupying positions in the countryside and these places have yet to be cleared,” a senior security official said.

However, analysts cautioned that these successes could be fleeting as militants have in the past shown the ability to regroup. — Reuters