Daily Tracker: Pakistani Military Operations in Orakzai
By Reza Jan, Nicholas Patella, Benjamin Schultz
March 30, 2010
One week ago, the Pakistani military launched a major offensive into Orakzai in Pakistans Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The foray comes as the Pakistani militarys operation in South Waziristan formally ends today, March 30 (although the army will maintain a presence in the agency). As part of the new Orakzai offensive, dubbed Operation Khwakh Ba De Sham (A Pashto expression roughly meaning I will teach you a lesson or I will fix you), five battalions of Army, Frontier Corps and local Frontier Constabulary troops, backed up by jets, helicopter gunships and artillery support, have forayed into parts of Orakzai held by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and begun retaking control of the area.
Orakzai is of great strategic importance to both the Pakistani military and the TTP. Hakimullah Mehsud, the late head of the TTP, shifted back to his old stronghold of Orakzai along with much of the movements leadership and manpower following the groups expulsion from South Waziristan. Orakzai has also been the launching pad for numerous suicide bomb attacks conducted across Pakistan and is home to many terror training camps, including some run by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Muhammad, and other al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist outfits.
For the Pakistani military, retaking Orakzai is a key step towards destroying the leadership capacity of the TTP, crippling its ability to train and launch attacks, and denying it another safe-haven in which it may regroup. This latest operation in Orakzai demonstrates the utmost seriousness with which Pakistan continues to view the task of eliminating the TTP and its affiliates.
Although the scale of the operation currently underway in Orakzai is smaller compared to last years operations in Swat and South Waziristan, the fighting has been just as bloody. The military has established a cordon around many of Orakzais entry and exit points and the militants, finding their escape cut off, are, in many cases, choosing to fight and launch significant assaults on military positions. The military has been retaliating by bombarding TTP locations relentlessly, reportedly inflicting heavy casualties on the militants. The military claims many of the dead are foreign fighters, including Arabs and Uzbeks.
The Critical Threats Project has been cataloging the military operation in Orakzai on a day-to-day basis and produced a tracker containing casualty figures, details of fighting, information on the flows of internally displaced people (IDPs), maps of the agency showing locations of violence, and more.
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Day Six - March 29, 2010
The above map lists those places that were locatable geographically and thus may not depict all locations in which fighting took place
Day Six - March 29, 2010
Military operations in Orakzai persist with security forces continuing to repel ambushes, capture militants, and utilize air assets to destroy militant hideouts. (CNN, Daily Times, Frontier Post)
Taliban casualties: 21 to 28 killed today; 149 to 221 killed since beginning of operation. (CNN, Daily Times, Geo)
Military casualties: 2-4 injured today; 5-6 killed and 19-24 wounded since beginning of operation. (CNN, Daily Times, Frontier Post)
The military reportedly conducted actions in Feroz Khel, Waziri, Mishti, Sara Mela and Zara Mela on Monday, among others. (Geo)
Taliban fighters ambushed a military convoy in the Mirobak area. Security forces returned fire, killing between 8 and 11 militants and capturing three to four others, including a militant commander by the name of Mir Fazal. Two soldiers were also reported to have sustained injuries in the firefight. The military reports capturing up to 3 militant commanders on Monday. (CNN, Daily Times, Frontier Post)
In a separate incident, militants fired rockets at a military checkpost near the main Orakzai town of Kalaya. Two soldiers reportedly sustained injuries from enemy mortar fire. Security forces responded, killing five militants. (CNN, Geo)
Helicopter gunships shelled three Taliban hideouts in northern Orakzai, killing 13 militants. Artillery fire also continued to rain down on enemy positions. Up to 28 militants were reported killed in Mondays fighting. (CNN, Geo)
Security forces killed two militants and arrested 14 others during search and clearing operations in the Dogra area of Khyber Agencys Bara sub-district and also seized an arms and ammunition cache. (Daily Times, Frontier Post)
According to local tribesmen, 7 civilians including a woman were injured when a stray mortar round hit a house in Feroz Khel. Additionally, four unidentified bodies were recovered from Ghiljo, in upper Orakzai on Monday. (The News)
Five policemen and a civilian sustained injuries when hit by an IED attack in nearby Hangu. (CNN)
Day Five - March 28, 2010
The above map lists those places that were locatable geographically and thus may not depict all locations in which fighting took place
Day Five - March 28, 2010
Security forces continued their operations in Orakzai on Sunday, capturing fresh territory and fending off attacks from TTP militants.
Taliban casualties: 22 to 32 killed today, 128 to 193 killed since beginning of operation. (The News, Dawn, AP, Daily Times, Geo, Frontier Post)
Military casualties: No casualties reported today, 5-6 killed and 17-20 wounded since beginning of operation.
Militants and Pakistani security forces traded fire when a military bunker in Gaidar, previously a militant stronghold in Feroz Khel, came under attack. Militants wielding small arms and rockets attacked the outpost but were beaten back by forces stationed there. During the militarys retaliation between 6 and 10 Taliban militants were killed. The military has now fully secured Gaidar. (Geo, Dawn, Dawn, The News, Daily Times)
In a separate incident, militants based out of Shireen Darra fired four rockets at the military camp established in Kalaya. The rockets missed their mark and no casualties were reported. (The News)
Security forces later bombarded enemy positions and trenches in the Feroz Khel area, killing between 5 and 12 militants, according to differing reports. (The News, AP, Geo, Daily Times)
Elsewhere, 11 suspected militants were arrested during a search operation in Hangu. 23 militants including, three commanders, voluntarily surrendered at a jirga in Salarzai area of Bajaur Agency. The jirga announced a Rs2 million fine for anyone that hosted extremists in addition to the seizure of all their wealth and banishment from the area. (Frontier Post, Daily Times)
The exodus of internally displaced people continues, and large numbers of IDPs have left Sultanzai, Feroz Khel, Anjani and Mishti, for safer areas in Hangu and Kohat. A large number of families are also fleeing north into Khyber agency. According to one report, more than 15,000 families have fled to various parts of Khyber agency. (Dawn, Daily Times, Geo)
Day Four - March 27, 2010
The above map lists those places that were locatable geographically and thus may not depict all locations in which fighting took place
Day Four - March 27, 2010
Fresh contingents of security forces deployed to Orakzai and forces continued to pound enemy locations with artillery as operations in the region continued. (The News)
Taliban casualties: 9-16 killed today, 106-161 killed since beginning of operation. (Frontier Post, Dawn, AP/WSJ, AFP, Daily Times)
Military casualties: No casualties reported today, 5-6 killed and 17-20 wounded since beginning of operation.
Air strikes targeting eight separate hideouts and three militant vehicles in Orakzai Agency killed between 9 and 16 militants. (Frontier Post, Dawn, AP/WSJ, AFP, Daily Times)
Pakistani jets, gunships and artillery shelled several TTP hideouts in Orakzai. Air assets and artillery struck locations in Sultanzai, Daburai, Bizoti, Feroz Khel, Bazoqamar, Kata Kanrai, Utman Khel, Chundra/Jondar and Darra Garhi and Anjani. Gunships also targeted militant positions in Bagram and Shadal. Between 13 and 16 militants died and 18 were injured in the strikes and scores others were injured. Three vehicles carrying militants belonging to the Aslam Farooqi group were also destroyed. Aslam Farooqi is the leader of the TTPs Orakzai chapter. (Geo, Daily Times, The News, Frontier Post)
Elsewhere, militants in Orakzai killed two Utman Khel tribesmen in Lower Orakzai on suspicion of spying for the government. The bodies of six truck drivers abducted some days before were also recently found in Orakzai. (Geo)
Day Three - March 26, 2010
The above map lists those places that were locatable geographically and thus may not depict all locations in which fighting took place
Day Three - March 26, 2010
Security forces continue their operations in Orakzai, utilizing air assets to destroy militant hideouts and weathering Taliban counterattacks. (Dawn, The News, Reuters, NYT)
Taliban casualties: 28-49 killed today, 97 to 145 killed since beginning of operation. (Reuters, AP/WSJ)
Military casualties: 5-6 FC soldiers killed, 14-16 wounded today. 5-6 killed, 17-20 wounded since beginning of operation(Reuters, The News)
Between 100 and 150 militants launched an assault late Thursday night on the Shna checkpost located on the outskirts of Kalaya. The insurgents attacked the checkpost from three sides simultaneously, pounding the area with mortar shells and machine gun fire. One security official described the attack as a last ditch effort from Taliban militants who had been cut off from other contingents fighting in the region and were unable to flee into the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. Frontier Corps forces with the help of air support launched a counterattack early on Friday which successfully retook the checkpost after several hours of fighting. Between the initial assault and the counterattack which recaptured the checkpost security forces killed between 21 and 39 militants; Afghans, Arabs, and Uzbeks were reportedly among the dead. FC casualties included 5-6 personnel killed, including a Lieutenant Colonel, and between 14 and 16 FC soldiers wounded. (Reuters,AFP, AP/WSJ, NYT, The News,Dawn)
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters also attacked military bunkers in the Feroz Khel area. According to local residents, the attack on the checkpost and bunkers was carried out in retaliation for the previous days bombing of militant hideouts in the Mamuzai area that killed several dozen TTP fighters. (The News)
Later in the day, shelling from fighter jets and helicopter gunships targeted several militant hideouts in the Daburai, Mamuzai, Khadizai, and Ghiljo areas, killing between 7 and 10 militants and wounding 10 others. (Reuters, The News)
According to BBC Urdu, the majority of Orakzais population had fled the region prior to the commencement of this latest operation, but on Friday Orakzais political administrators directed residents of Stori Khel and Feroz Khel to evacuate their homes. The military opened main roads to allow the people to leave, but searched the internally displaced people (IDPs) to ensure no militants were able to flee the region. (The News)
Day Two - March 25, 2010
The above map lists those places that were locatable geographically and thus may not depict all locations in which fighting took place
Day Two - March 25, 2010
Inspector General Frontier Corps (IGFC) Major General Tariq Khan issued a statement that Operation Khwakh Ba De Sham is progressing well. (AFP)
Approximate Taliban casualties: 48-71 killed today, 69-96 killed since beginning of operation. (Reuters, Dawn, AP)
Military casualties: 2 FC soldiers wounded today, 3-4 FC wounded since beginning of operation. (Dawn, Frontier Post)
Pakistani Air Force (PAF) jets bombarded several militant hideouts in the Mamuzai and Daburai areas of Upper Orakzai. A madrassa, a school, and a mosque were said to be among the buildings targeted by the air strikes in the Arghanjo area of Mamuzai. Security officials say a meeting of Taliban leadership loyal to Maulvi Toofans group was being held in one of these buildings at the time of the attack. Another report indicates that most of the militants killed belonged to the Aslam Farooqi and Tariq Afridi groups. Additionally, one of the structures hit reportedly belonged to the non-violent group Tableeghi Jamaat, killing 10 people. Air strikes in the Daburai area destroyed three Taliban hideouts, killing six militants and wounding five others. Various reports put the total number of militants killed in the attacks at between 44 and 67. (Frontier Post, Reuters, Dawn, AFP, AP)
Four militants were killed and one soldier was wounded in clearing operations in the Mirobak and Feroz Khel areas. A local Taliban commander by the name of Mian Gul was also reportedly captured along with a large quantity of hand grenades and other arms. Additionally, one soldier was injured in Kalaya as Taliban militants continued to fire rockets and mortars into the town. (Dawn, Frontier Post)
Hafiz Sakhi, a former Taliban commander, has announced his support for the security forces fighting in Orakzai. (Frontier Post)
The bodies of two more tribal elders kidnapped from Hangu district by the Taliban were discovered in the Sara Mela area. The executed elders were identified as Gul Hakeem and Fazal Jameel. The body of one other unidentified victim was also found. Three more tribal leaders are still being held by the Taliban. (Dawn, Frontier Post)
Thousands of civilians are said to have fled the area, but the total number of IDPs is still unclear. (BBC)
Day One - March 24, 2010
The above map lists those places that were locatable geographically and thus may not depict all locations in which fighting took place
Day One - March 24, 2010
Operation Khwakh Ba De Sham began close to midnight of March 23rd/24th and Pakistani security forces, including the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) forces, and backed up by jet, gunship and artillery support, entered Taliban controlled areas of Orakzai. Forces attempted to clear enemy-held areas around Orakzais main town of Kalaya. (AFP/DAWN, The News)
Military force involved: At least 5 battalions drawn from the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC) and Frontier Constabulary, supported by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets, Army Cobra helicopter gunships and heavy artillery. (AFP)
Approximate Taliban casualties: 21-25, according to differing reports. (Geo, The News)
Military casualties: 1-2 FC soldiers wounded. (AP, BBC Urdu/CAO, The News)
Security forces reportedly launched operations in Hashmat Khan Kili, Qeematkhel, Mirobak, Shna Naka, Anjani, Ferozkhel, Stori Khel, Khalil Kalay. (Frontier Post, The News)
Security forces tightened security at exit and entry points around Orakzai to prevent an exodus of militants into the settled areas of the NWFP. Security has been heightened in Doaba, Thal and Hangu. (The News)
Resistance was reported in Anjani, Hashmat Khal Kili, Qeemat Khel and Shna Naka. One soldier was reported wounded in the fighting. According to local reports, the militants were unable to offer sustained resistance and were largely fleeing to safer locations. Some Taliban fighters were reported fleeing with their dead towards Indarra, near the border with Khyber agency. 11 militants were reportedly killed in clashes. (Geo, Daily Times, The News, Daily Times, AFP/DAWN)
In their push towards Kalaya, security forces assaulted and took control of Anjani, Zera, Chamjanna, Hashmat Khan Kili, Shna Naka, Mirobak, Qeemat Khel, Shantana, and Feroz Khel, according to various sources. (BBC Urdu/CAO, The News)
PAF jets and army helicopter gunships launched strikes in Sultanzai, Anjani, Stori Khel, Malandra, Hindar, Mashini Killay, Anjani and Mamuzai. 12 militants were reportedly killed in airstrikes and six hideouts, a bunker, and explosive-filled tanker and a militant training center were also destroyed. (The News, Frontier Post, BBC Urdu/CAO, AFP/DAWN)
Militants offered only sporadic resistance but fired mortars and rockets at military positions around Kalaya. One report claims one soldier was injured by the indirect fire; according to another the shelling caused no casualties. (BBC Urdu/CAO, The News)
The military established a temporary camp in Kalaya and imposed curfews in Mirobak, Feroz Khel, Chamjanna, Zera, Khwaja Khidr, Hindar and Aakhel areas. (The News)
According to news sources, eighty percent of Orakzais population had already fled the region in anticipation of a military operation. (BBC Urdu/CAO)
Elsewhere, Taliban militants execute one of six tribal elders abducted two days earlier from the district of Hangu. His body was found in Ghiljo in Upper Orakzai. (Daily Times, The News)
(Original photos available at Pakistanarmy.gov.pk, CriticalThreats.org and Google Earth)