The Battle for Orakzai & Khyber Agencies

[SMC]

Pakistani forces kill 12 militants in Orakzai

By Hasan Mehmood


HANGU, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani soldiers backed by jets and helicopters attacked Taliban positions in the northwestern Orakzai region on Sunday, killing 12 militants, government officials said.


The assault came a day after fighter jets bombed a militant stronghold in the neighboring Khyber region on the Afghan border, killing 45 people, according to militant sources.


"Three Taliban hideouts have been destroyed and 12 militants have been killed in Orakzai," Khaista Gul, a regional government official, told Reuters.


Orakzai and Khyber are two of Pakistan's seven semi-autonomous ethnic Pashtun tribal regions, where militants and their al Qaeda allies fighting both the Afghan and Pakistani governments entrenched themselves after U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban in Afghanistan in late 2001.


Security forces have stepped up assaults in the northwest over the past year, largely clearing militants from the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad, and the South Waziristan and Bajaur regions on the Afghan border.


Security forces are now focusing on other areas, in particular Orakzai and Khyber, where militants who fled the earlier sweeps have taken refuge.


The security forces' successes have eased fears that nuclear-armed Pakistan, a vital ally for the United States as it struggles to stabilize Afghanistan, was sliding into chaos.


OPTIMISM


Similarly, hopes for an easing of destabilizing political wrangling were raised last week when the National Assembly unanimously passed a set of constitutional reforms curbing the powers of unpopular President Asif Ali Zardari.


Optimism has been reflected in Pakistan's stock market, where the main index is at levels not seen since 2008, supported by foreign buying.


Net foreign portfolio inflows were $113 million in March, the second highest monthly inflow ever.


But the militants have shown they are still capable of striking at high profile targets in heavily guarded areas.


Militants attacked the U.S. consulate in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Monday last week, killing five people, hours after a suicide bomber killed 48 people at political rally in a nearby district.


A militant commander said on Saturday that civilians were also among 45 people killed in attacks in a border area between Orakzai and Khyber but military officials denied it.


A senior military official said the jets attacked militants as they were trying to sneak into Orakzai from Khyber to attack a security checkpost.


The main route for Western forces supplies trucked from Karachi port to landlocked Afghanistan winds through the Khyber Pass and militants have frequently attacked convoys there.


Orakzai is a stronghold of Hakimullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban chief who is widely believed to have been killed in a missile strike by pilotless U.S. drone aircraft in South Waziristan in January.

Pakistani forces kill 12 militants in Orakzai - Yahoo! News

 

[lyns]

PESHAWAR: Thirty-eight militants were killed and two security men were martyred during a clash between militants and security forces in Orakzai Agency.

According to sources, militants stormed a security checkpoint in Shareen Darra early on Monday in which two security personnel were martyred and nine others injured. In reply, security forces killed 38 militants and wounded several others.

Three hideouts of militants were also destroyed in Shareen Darra and Sangrana areas. The offensive against militants in Orakzai Agency has been entered into third week.

Operation commander Tahir Ikram said many hideouts have been destroyed and more than 300 militants including key commanders have been killed in the operation.

38 militants, 2 security men dead in Orakzai - GEO.tv

 

[Marxist]

ISLAMABAD (AP) - The United Nations says more than 200,000 people have fled a recent military offensive against Taliban militants in northwestern Pakistan.

The military has intensified operations in the Orakzai tribal region in the last few weeks with constant airstrikes and occasional ground battles against the militants. More than 300 suspected insurgents have been killed since mid-March.

The U.N. said Monday that almost 210,000 have fled Orakzai since the fighting first started at the end of last year. Nearly 50,000 people have fled in the last month alone.

TODAYonline | Breaking News | More than 200,000 people have fled a recent military offensive in NW Pakistan, says UN

 

[nasir91]

What I don't get is why the news say "x militants killed", but "y military personell martyred". I mean, you can't deny the fact that the militants are humans, what we must see is why so many become these so-called militants, they can't just simply be evil?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

What I don't get is why the news say "x militants killed", but "y military personell martyred". I mean, you can't deny the fact that the militants are humans, what we must see is why so many become these so-called militants, they can't just simply be evil?

Sometimes I doubt the militants are humans given the terrorism they have inflicted upon the people of Pakistan - the suicide bombings and terrorist attacks in markets, hotels, shops etc. that have killed thousands of Pakistani civilians.

The militants have abducted children and brainwashed them into becoming terrorists and suicide bombers, and butchered with impunity those who opposed their ideology.

I say all of these actions do qualify them to be classified as 'animals' rather than humans. Calling them Swine is appropriate I think.

Pakistani soldiers on the other hand are fighting against this barbarism and these crimes by the Taliban, they are fighting to defend the Pakistani nation from the barbaric and medieval ideology of the Taliban - of course they should be referred to as Martyrs. There is simply no comparison to be made between the Swine Taliban and our brave soldiers.

 

[TaimiKhan]

What I don't get is why the news say "x militants killed", but "y military personell martyred". I mean, you can't deny the fact that the militants are humans, what we must see is why so many become these so-called militants, they can't just simply be evil?

Why don't you come to Pakistan and get yourself treated by the militants hospitality, hope you will find who is wrong and who is right.

 

[SMC]

Pakistan fighting kills up to 39 rebels, four soldiers

56 minutes ago


PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) - Heavy fighting killed up to 39 militants and four soldiers in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas on Monday after rebels laid siege to a remote military base.


The clashes amounted to some of the deadliest fighting since Pakistan launched a new offensive against the Taliban three weeks ago in Orakzai, part of a lawless mountain region branded by Washington a headquarters of Al-Qaeda.

The United Nations said last week that more than 35,000 families or around 210,000 people had fled military operations and Taliban-linked violence in Orakzai and the neighbouring district of Kurram since November.


During the Orakzai operation "39 militants were killed including their commander Saif-ur Rehman and four security officials," a Pakistani military official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"Nine security officials were wounded and seven hideouts were also destroyed," the official added.

Military officials have announced a running death toll of around 210 militants in the Orakzai operation since March 24, but none of the figures can be verified independently as access to the remote area is severely limited.

In one incident, scores of heavily armed militants attacked a military base in the Shireendara area.

Troops opened fire with artillery when some 200 militants attacked their base, local administration official Sajjad Ahmad told AFP.

"The attack was repulsed and up to 32 rebels and two soldiers of paramilitary Frontier Corps were killed," Ahmad added.

Eight soldiers were wounded in the attack and the bodies of the militants were collected by the paramilitary force, the official said.

Orakzai is a former bastion of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan leader Hakimullah Mehsud, whom US officials believe probably died in a US drone attack in January. The Pakistani military says it has no evidence he is in the area.

Under US pressure, Pakistan has in the past year significantly increased operations against militants in its tribal belt, which Washington has called the most dangerous region on Earth and a global headquarters of Al-Qaeda.

The rugged tribal terrain became a stronghold for hundreds of extremists who fled neighbouring Afghanistan after the US-led invasion in late 2001.

The United Nations warned Monday it may have to shut down aid projects in Pakistan, after receiving only a fifth of the funds requested in an appeal for more than half a billion dollars.

The world body launched the 537-million-dollar appeal in February to feed and assist more than one million people displaced by conflict in Pakistan's northwest and in border areas with Afghanistan.

"The response by the international community to this appeal is inadequate," UN humanitarian coordinator for Pakistan Martin Mogwanja told reporters.

"Humanitarian actors responding to the needs of the people are concerned that some of the projects may have to be suspended because of lack of finances," he said.

Mogwanja said that the United Nations had so far received only 106 million dollars from the donors, which was just 20 percent of the total appeal.

He said the United Nations urgently needed the funding, with 1.3 million people still displaced in the northwest and the rugged tribal regions.

Last year, a total of 3.1 million people were displaced in North West Frontier Province and the semi-autonomous tribal belt along the Afghan border.

Pakistan fighting kills up to 39 rebels, four soldiers - Yahoo! Canada News

 

[Javed3]

Call them Militants, call them evil baboons, call them extremists .. whatever .... they are all citizens of Pakistan, as much as others at this forum.

Pakistan Army is being misused to wage war on its territory, upon the directions of CENTCOM commanders. Pakistan Government has taken ownership of a war that we have nothing to do with. As a nation we have entered a graveyard spiral of violence.

The State of Pakistan still wields considerable moral authority, but the Government and the Army has forfeited it.

The only way to crawl out of this vicious cycle is to cease war operations on Pakistani soil and enter a political dialog.

 

[Javed3]

"" He said the United Nations urgently needed the funding, with 1.3 million people still displaced in the northwest and the rugged tribal regions. Last year, a total of 3.1 million people were displaced in North West Frontier Province and the semi-autonomous tribal belt along the Afghan border.""

This is how we make friends and influence people! This is how we treat our own citizens on our own soil.

Our government is badgering the US to provide UCAV's and gadgetry to wage a better more effective war on its soil. The UCAV's will not last for 30 minutes during a legitimate and REAL war with India.

 

[Javed3]

Orakzai, Khyber / Tirah are sensitive areas with a rather long institutional memory. Conquests and Victories may earn a few pats and wads for Maj Gen Tariq Khan; but does not really help much in restoring peace and tranquility.

 

[fatman17]

Civilian toll

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The military action against militants continues in Orakzai Agency and other parts in the north. Latest reports speak of a high civilian toll as a result of bombing in the Orakzai area. Local people are distressed; tribesmen have spoken out against the action. The lack of adequate medical facilities in the area makes the situation worse with the injured having to be shifted to hospitals in Peshawar. Closed roads and the lack of transport have added to the perils. The question of civilian casualties is one that has plagued the war on terror from the very start. It is still to be adequately addressed. Indeed, in Bajaur, South Waziristan, Swat and elsewhere local people caught up in the conflict complain that too little has been done for them. These complaints need to be taken very seriously. The state must establish itself as an ally in the eyes of the people. It can do so only by making an effort to improve the quality of lives people lead. Schools must be repaired, hospitals established and farmers offered help with re-establishing their means of livelihood. Indeed it was the failure over the past years to guarantee people some access to basic needs which allowed the militants to gain so strong a hold in the first place. The conviction that the state cared little for them built support for the Taliban.
It is true that in any situation of conflict, suffering cannot entirely be avoided. But there is a desperate need to minimize it for ordinary people and to offer them the protection that is their right to receive from the state. Gaining goodwill is vital. The NWFP government needs to take the lead in this. The military has done its job by going all out to hunt down the militants. The government must now move faster to rebuild ravaged areas and, where necessary, to protect people still at risk. Evacuations need to be considered. Despite repeated calls from human rights bodies these have not taken place. The need for secrecy in the conduct of military operations has been cited as one reason for this. But there are ways round this issue. Moving people away from villages will give very little away and will show a respect for human life, demonstrating that the government does not consider people pawns that can casually be sacrificed in battles.

 

[air marshal]

Militants fleeing to Tirah valley, 13 killed in Saturday operation

ISLAMABAD, April 11 (APP): Due to successful operation of security forces in other agencies of FATA, the militants have started fleeing to Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency where 13 mlitants were killed in Saturday operation, official sources said here on Sunday.

They said, Tirah Valley due to its focal location, having linkages with other agencies and Afghanistan is a stronghold of Lashar-i-Islam and hub of militants ex TTP, TTS besides the foreign fighters. Confirm reports are being received through intelligence sources and Political Administration about growing number of militants and threats in the valley.

Militants have established their hideouts and training centers in different parts of Tirah Valley, they added.

 

[fatman17]

Civilian deaths hurt Pakistan Army’s anti-Taliban campaign

* Airstrike on suspected Taliban, which killed civilians in a village, could alienate those the army needs most in its struggle to stabilise country — pro-govt tribesmen

ISLAMABAD: An airstrike on suspected Taliban, which killed civilians in a village could alienate those the army needs most in its struggle to stabilise the country - pro-government tribesmen.

Before the attack on Saturday, remote Saravilla was one of the few villages in northwest Pakistan where the Taliban were too scared to go, residents say. After details of the operation became clear this week, analysts wondered whether the assault may turn some of the few Pakistanis brave enough to resist the Taliban against the army.

Villagers and local government officials said 63 civilians were killed. The military initially denied civilian deaths in strike but later admitted the strikes killed 30 terrorists and then another assault killed up to 20 civilians who had gathered afterwards at the site and were mistaken for Taliban fighters.

“Saravilla is a place where the Taliban cannot dare enter. The government well knows where the hideouts of the terrorists are,” Ameer Baz, a villager whose relative was injured in the attack, told Reuters.

“If the army kills civilians then people will not support operations against terrorists.”

Pakistan cannot afford to anger civilians in the ethnic Pashtun tribal northwest, where it needs more intelligence and cooperation on the ground to fight the Taliban. Terrorists operate from sanctuaries in the areas where the government traditionally has little authority. Pakistani security forces have stepped up anti-Taliban assaults in the northwest over the past year, largely clearing terrorists from the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad, and the South Waziristan and Bajaur regions on the Afghan border. It has expanded operations into the Orakzai, Khyber and Kurram regions where officials say the Taliban fled from earlier operations.

Large numbers of civilian casualties could be a blow to the government’s efforts to win over the tribal population from the Taliban, an effort the government says has been largely successful. reuters

 

[kidwaibhai]

Dawn News report on Operations in Aurakzai

 

[fatman17]

NATO acknowledges Pakistan operations against Taliban

LONDON: NATO acknowledges Pakistan’s drive against extremists and Taliban in the tribal region, NATO spokesperson James Appathurai said on Friday.

Talking to reporters ahead of the two-day NATO foreign ministers conference, which will take place next week in Estonian capital Tallin, he said, “Operations against the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan are clearly very difficult.” He spoke of the terrorism problem faced by Pakistan and Afghanistan and said there needs to be a solution on both sides of the border. Asked whether these operations have impacted NATO’s own counter-insurgency measures within Afghanistan, Appathurai said, “I have not seen an answer to that question.” On the question of Pakistan’s offer to train Afghan forces, he said it was up to Pakistan and Afghanistan to decide. Appathurai said NATO was facing shortage of trainers for the Afghan security forces. The organisation needs at least 500 trainers, he added. app