FATA Situation

[Pk_Thunder]

Major breakthrough in Khyber Agency operation claimed​

Friday, January 02, 2009
Pak-Afghan highway likely to reopen within two days

By our correspondent

PESHAWAR: Claiming a major breakthrough on the third day of the ongoing operation against the militants and outlaws in the Khyber Agency, the political authorities on Thursday hinted at reopening the Pak-Afghan Highway by Saturday.

Authorities said 80 per cent of the targets were achieved as several notorious criminals were either arrested or surrendered to the administration after finding no way out. Some 13 houses, used for anti-social activities, were also demolished. The encroachments along the Jamrud Bazaar and the adjoining areas were removed.

Sources said 15 more wanted criminals were arrested on the day, bringing the tally of those arrested during the last three days of the operation to 43. A total of 33 structures, including houses and Hujras, were demolished in the operation.

The Nato supplies snatched from time-to-time were recovered during the operation. The looted items were recovered from the house of Adam Jee, Wazir Dhand area, prompting the forces to demolish the house after retrieving the snatched goods.

A huge cache of arms was recovered from an Afghan refugee, Ubaidullah Khogyani. Security forces searched the house of banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Amir for Jamrud, Hijrat, and found stolen goods. The house was also demolished.

The demolished structures also included the house of a well-known tribal elder Malik Attaullah Kokikhel and that of Haji Momin Khan, the brother of Nasir Khan, the incumbent senator from the Khyber Agency.

Briefing media persons, Political Agent of the Khyber Agency Tariq Hayat said that on the third day of the operation, militants’ hideouts and criminal dens in Ghundi, Shahkas and Wazir Dhand area were targeted with artillery shells before the troops moved in.

The official said that known kidnappers and looters were arrested during the operation and a large quantity of arms and ammunition and looted goods recovered from different places. Tariq reiterated his earlier stance that the operation named ‘Daraghlum’ (Here I come) was not aimed at any single entity or group but against a host of groups that had made the entire region insecure.

“Lawlessness in Jamrud Tehsil has direct implication on the law and order situation in Peshawar, which experienced one of its worst periods during the last quarter of the year 2008,” the administrative head of the agency said and added 37 people were kidnapped and 16 vehicles lifted from Jamrud Tehsil during the last three months.

The official said that during the same period, a total of 100 people were abducted from Peshawar and all the kidnappings had direct links to the tribal territory, where the operation was in progress now. Besides, the area was also used to launch rocket attacks on Peshawar and hundreds of vehicles, including that of the Nato, were targeted.

The official said that some residents of the area, especially Jamrud subdivision, had provided shelter to the miscreants, who had shifted from Bajaur, Mohmand, Orakzai and Waziristan tribal agencies. The political agent said that growing lawlessness in the tribal agency had ended the role of tribal elders, who found themselves unable to cope with the heavily-armed anti-social elements. “This operation will go a long way in restoring the real tribal system in these areas,” Tariq said.

 

[ALi Rizwan]

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

Pakistan reopens NATO supply route

By Sajid Ali and Qazi Rauf

JAMRUD: The Pakistan government on Friday resumed the transport of supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan three days after authorities suspended operations to clear the area of Taliban carrying out attacks on the supply trucks.

Security forces also seized a large quantity of sophisticated arms – including anti-aircraft guns, machineguns, mortars, light machine guns and rocket launchers – from Taliban hideouts and arrested several wanted men in Ali Masjid area on the fourth day of a military operation in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency.

Local administration chief Tarq Khan told reporters that the main supply route to Afghanistan was re-opened on Friday, and trucks would now be allowed to move between Pakistan and Afghanistan from 11am to 4pm every day.

He said 300 trucks, several carrying NATO supplies, passed into Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass on Friday.

Security forces began the operation to clear the area on Tuesday, sealing off the road leading to Afghanistan while troops backed by tanks and gunship helicopters moved in to the agency.

Tariq said 150 Taliban had been arrested in the operation.

Heavy Arms & Ammunition
including 4 anti-aircraft guns

 

[AliFarooq]

Afghans given a week-deadline to leave Khyber

Updated at: 0714 PST, Saturday, January 10, 2009
Afghans given a week-deadline to leave Khyber JAMRUD: Afghan refugees living in Khyber Agency have been told to leave the agency within one week, failing which action would taken against them, Khyber Agency Political Agent Tariq Hayat Khan said.

Khan told reporters the Afghan refugees were involved in 60 percent crime in the agency and said unregistered Afghans should register themselves and shift to camps, or leave the agency.

He said security forces had arrested at least 200 Taliban and other anti-social elements during the ongoing military operation in Jamrud tehsil and demolished 55 houses. Khan said the security forces arrested seven would-be suicide bombers and seized two vehicles loaded with at least 1,200 kilogrammes of explosives from Jamrud and Bara tehsils of Khyber Agency.

Media reported Khan as saying curfew along the Khyber Pass had been lifted from 8am until 7pm. “Now there is a free flow of traffic for every type of vehicle” including NATO supply trucks, he said. “The active operation is over. Now we are engaged in the mopping-up phase of the operation against anti-social and anti-state elements,” he said, referring to the Taliban.

 

[Anwar2]

JUST ONE BRITISH OFFICER BROKE THE BACK OF TERRORISM IN PUNJAB IN 1919.

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, alternatively known as the Amritsar Massacre, was named after the Jallianwala Bagh (Garden) in the northern Indian city of Amritsar where, on April 13, 1919, while doing a peaceful demonstration on occasion of Punjabi New Year, British Indian Army soldiers under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer opened fire on an unarmed gathering of men, women and children.

Dyer led a group of 90 Indian Army soldiers mostly comprised of Gurkha, Punjab rifles, Pathans infantry, Dogra regiment and Beluchi infantry regiment, accompanied by two armoured cars.

The firing lasted about 10 minutes and 1650 rounds were fired, or 33 rounds per soldier. Official British Raj sources placed the fatalities at 379. According to private sources there were over 1000 deaths, with more than 2000 wounded, and Civil Surgeon Dr. Smith indicated that there were 1,526 casualties

 

[rubyjackass]

Wtf do you call it terrorism?
And why in this FATA thread?

 

[MastanKhan]

JUST ONE BRITISH OFFICER BROKE THE BACK OF TERRORISM IN PUNJAB IN 1919.

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, alternatively known as the Amritsar Massacre, was named after the Jallianwala Bagh (Garden) in the northern Indian city of Amritsar where, on April 13, 1919, while doing a peaceful demonstration on occasion of Punjabi New Year, British Indian Army soldiers under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer opened fire on an unarmed gathering of men, women and children.

Dyer led a group of 90 Indian Army soldiers mostly comprised of Gurkha, Punjab rifles, Pathans infantry, Dogra regiment and Beluchi infantry regiment, accompanied by two armoured cars.

The firing lasted about 10 minutes and 1650 rounds were fired, or 33 rounds per soldier. Official British Raj sources placed the fatalities at 379. According to private sources there were over 1000 deaths, with more than 2000 wounded, and Civil Surgeon Dr. Smith indicated that there were 1,526 casualties

General Dyer----ordered the people to disperse---they didnot---he then asked his troops to fire in the air----they did---guess what happened next ----it is a master piece that has hardly ever been revealed----the people started shouting" phokian e phokian "----The Gen got puzzled---he asked his subordinate , " why are they not running----What are they shouting "----the junior officer replied----" Sir, they are saying you are firing BLANKS ( PHOKIAN )----"---it blew the Gneral' fuse---he ordered load---fire and shoot straight to the last bullet----. The rest is history---.

 

[rubyjackass]

Are you trying to justify the incident? How does it anyway?
Please give more details about what you think as history here.
Links to sources would be good.


Also I think it is widely agreed(apparently because the genral confessed) that he knew about the gathering beforehand but did nothing to prevent the assembly.

 

[fatman17]

Obama must aid Pakistan’s anti-terror efforts: Hadley

* US national security adviser says Islamabad understands the challenge of terrorism
* Says a lot at stake in Pakistan

WASHINGTON: Underscoring the fact that Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism, the United States national security adviser has urged president-elect Barack Obama to continue Washington’s support for the country.

In an interaction with American and international experts at a Washington think tank, Stephen Hadley explained the US foreign policy pursued under outgoing President George W Bush and acknowledged Islamabad’s anti-terrorism resolve as well as its critical counterterrorism role over the years since September 11, 2001.

Hadley, who spoke on the eve of vice president-elect Joseph Biden’s visit to South Asia as a US senator for a first-hand assessment for the new administration’s policy for the region, pointed out the importance that Pakistan’s stability held for the US in both bilateral and regional perspectives.

“I think that Pakistan is a victim of terror. And one of the things that people have focused on is activities in certain of the border regions of Pakistan that make more difficult achieving democratic stability in Afghanistan. But I think one of the things we have also seen is that the terrorist presence — Taliban, Al Qaeda, and other extremist groups — also are a threat to Pakistan,” Hadley said.d.

Understanding: The national security adviser said he believed “the democratic government in Pakistan understands that. If you talk to President (Asif Ali) Zardari, he says, you don’t need to tell me that Pakistanis are victims of terror; the terrorists killed my wife (Benazir Bhutto)”. In the speech at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, which is one of the last by top officials of the Bush administration that transfers power to Obama administration on January 20, Hadley said the democratic government had brought with it an opportunity to confront the challenges of violent extremism more effectively. At the same time he recognised the enormity of the problem.

“So what you have is a democratic government in Pakistan, and we think that is a real opportunity, because we think that democratic government has the opportunity to rally the people of Pakistan in - behind what is going to be a very difficult fight,” he commented.

Defending Pakistan’s role in the fight against terrorism in the face of a complex situation, he cited Islamabad’s success against Al Qaeda in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and reminded that last year “Pakistan went into a very difficult political transition from which this new government has emerged”.

“And that’s where we are - a new government that I think is talking clearly that it wants to confront terror - and has probably as difficult a challenge to deal with the various groups that it has of any nation. And that’s why I think it is going to be one of the key challenges, because success in Pakistan, overcoming this challenge, is important for stability in Pakistan, which is important to us. But stability in Pakistan is also going to be important, and success in the war on terror in Pakistan is also going to be important if we are going to take care of the problem in Afghanistan, and if we are going to get Pakistan and India relations to continue on a positive footing,” he said, in disagreement with an Indian journalist who suggested Pakistan had not done enough despite getting US assistance.

Stake: The national security adviser said “there is a lot at stake in Pakistan, and they have as daunting a task as any government today. And it is going to be very important for the new team to support their efforts, and I’m encouraged. I think you have seen statements from president-elect Obama, certainly from vice president-elect Biden, that I think they understand the challenge that Pakistan faces, and that means the challenge we face”. app

 

[Vinod2070]

General Dyer----ordered the people to disperse---they didnot---he then asked his troops to fire in the air----they did---guess what happened next ----it is a master piece that has hardly ever been revealed----the people started shouting" phokian e phokian "----The Gen got puzzled---he asked his subordinate , " why are they not running----What are they shouting "----the junior officer replied----" Sir, they are saying you are firing BLANKS ( PHOKIAN )----"---it blew the Gneral' fuse---he ordered load---fire and shoot straight to the last bullet----. The rest is history---.

That is not the version I have ever read. It has always been along the lines that Dyer never gave any warning to the people and directly asked the troops to shoot to kill. He said the he would have used machine guns if he had them.

Dyer was called to appear before the Hunter Commission, a commission of inquiry into the massacre that was ordered to convene by Secretary of State for India Edwin Montagu, in late 1919. Dyer admitted before the commission that he came to know about the meeting at the Jallianwala Bagh at 12:40 hours that day but took no steps to prevent it. He stated that he had gone to the Bagh with the deliberate intention of opening fire if he found a crowd assembled there.

"I think it quite possible that I could have dispersed the crowd without firing but they would have come back again and laughed, and I would have made, what I consider, a fool of myself." — Dyer's response to the Hunter Commission Enquiry.

Jallianwala Bagh massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Anwar2]

My point on Gen Dyer was simple. None of the 90 Desi soldiers under his command flinched for a second to kill their fellow citizens … not just ONE!

We Desis (Pakistanis and Indians) have this great Military tradition of unquestioned Loyalty to the Gora sahib. We need orders from just one Gora sahib to butcher, maim, rape, or pillage our fellow humans. On this forum I have seen the discussion about deploying 120,000 Indian troops in Afghanistan to support US/NATO; and the counter argument that Pak Army will be a better choice if we are provided with some choppers and NVG’s !!.

Back in early 20th century according to the law of the land Bhagat Singh was a Terrorist, Lala Lajpat Rai was the Zawahiri of that era, Maulana Mohammed Ali Jauhar was a Terrorist sympathizer, Allama Iqbal was an agent provocateur, Subash Chandra Bose was the Bin Laden of the 40’s, Allama Mashriqi was Abdul Rashid Ghazi of that era, Faqir of Ipi and Haji sahib of Torangzai were the Taliban of their era, Barakatullah was an enemy of State. Andaman Islands (Kala pani) were the Quantanamo Bay of that era.

The British Indian Army used to maintain garrisons in “troubled” Waziristan, Khyber and Mohmand Agencies. Indian Army soldiers including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Gorkhas used to earn their gallantry awards fighting the wild eyed Pushtoon tribesmen. The first Indian Air Force squadron formed in 1933 almost exclusively operated in Wana, Miran Shah and Kohat. Sqn Ldr Arjun Singh as Base Commander Kohat in 1946 was credited with numerous victories against unruly tribes.

In about 100 years the world has come Full circle, the only difference being that the Americans have replaced the Brits. Instead of British Indian Army our beloved Pak Army has been tasked with the mission to crush the “Terrorists and miscreants”.

 

[fatman17]

Pakistan: 4 Afghans caught in brazen weekend raid

By ASIF SHAHZAD

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Four militants captured in a brazen weekend raid on a military base in Pakistan's northwest came from across the border in Afghanistan, the military said Monday.

The paramilitary camp was attacked early Sunday by about 600 militants, most believed to be from Afghanistan, sparking a major clash that left six security troops and 49 insurgents dead.

The raid in Pakistan's Mohmand tribal agency suggested sophisticated cross-border coordination and the continued strength of the Taliban militancy in the isolated region despite a Pakistani military offensive.

The Pakistani Frontier Corps said in a statement Monday that four militants captured in the battle came from Afghanistan's Kunar province, directly across the border. It identified each by name but did not say how they had been captured, where they were being held or if they would be charged with crimes.

Also Monday, the bodies of two men killed by Taliban militants for allegedly spying for the United States were found in the North Waziristan tribal region to the south of Mohmand.

The men, brothers aged 25 and 30, were found shot to death early Monday with notes pinned to their bodies accusing them of passing on information in exchange for money, tribal police official Abdul Qayyum Khan told The Associated Press.

The deaths bring to 13 the number of people executed as suspected U.S. spies since Dec. 21, according to Khan.

The two were abducted a week ago as they attempted to flee with their families, Khan said. Their bullet-riddled bodies were found just outside Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan.

Khan said Pakistani bank notes were stuffed in their mouths and the messages found on their bodies warned others they would meet the same fate if they helped the Americans, who have launched a series of missile strikes against suspected Taliban targets in areas along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

The killing of alleged spies has grown more common in recent months, perhaps in response to the success of the U.S. missile strikes launched from pilotless drones. The U.S. is suspected in about 30 missile strikes in northwestern Pakistan since mid-August — nearly all of them in North and South Waziristan, two semiautonomous tribal areas considered al-Qaida and Taliban strongholds.

Meanwhile, tribesmen continued to block the southwestern supply route for NATO forces in Afghanistan at Chaman to protest the killing of one of their members in a raid by Pakistan's anti-narcotics force.

Trucks and other vehicles were blocking the main Quetta-Chaman highway, forcing about 100 trucks carrying NATO supplies to park, according to the region's deputy police superintendent, Mohammad Qasim.

No damage or injuries have been reported in the protest, which started Sunday.

Tribal elder Abdul Qahar Wadan said the tribesmen were prepared to keep up the blockade until their demands were met.

"We will not let anybody open the highway until a judicial inquiry is ordered into the raid and a criminal case is registered against the officials involved in it," Wadan told The Associated Pres.

Most NATO supplies travel through the famed Khyber Pass to the north, where they have been attacked by Taliban militants, although a smaller number get to Afghanistan by a second land crossing at Chaman.

Associated Press writers Ashraf Khan reported from Karachi, Matiullah Achakzi in Chaman, and Zarar Khan from Islamabad.

 

[Anwar2]

"4 Afghans Caught" must be looked at in the correct perspective.
Tribes living on both sides of the Durand Line have an intrinsic right to move about freely. This right is enshrined in a pact penned by Quaid-e-Azam in 1947; which forms an integral part of any Constitution of the State of Pakistan.
Setting up Army or Paramilitary garrisons in FATA is a violation of the pact between the father of the Nation and the tribes in the region.
It is understandable that such violations are being perpetuated for support for the so called "American War on Terror". The worst aspect is that poor paramilitary soldiers deployed against their will on such assignments have to bear the brunt. The real perpetrators of such heinous crimes are safely lodged in Islamabad.

 

[All-Green]

"4 Afghans Caught" must be looked at in the correct perspective.
Tribes living on both sides of the Durand Line have an intrinsic right to move about freely. This right is enshrined in a pact penned by Quaid-e-Azam in 1947; which forms an integral part of any Constitution of the State of Pakistan.
Setting up Army or Paramilitary garrisons in FATA is a violation of the pact between the father of the Nation and the tribes in the region.
It is understandable that such violations are being perpetuated for support for the so called "American War on Terror". The worst aspect is that poor paramilitary soldiers deployed against their will on such assignments have to bear the brunt. The real perpetrators of such heinous crimes are safely lodged in Islamabad.

With hundreds of tribal maliks assassinated at the hands of TTP and suicide attacks on jirgas it is not a simple matter of leaving everything to the local populace!
Help is needed and FC in long run and ARMY in short term are the ones who can help.
TTP is a purely terrorist organization who is going to give the people nothing except more body count.

Whereas i have no sympathy for the ignorant rulers who through inaction have led us down this path, i simply cannot tolerate the likes of TTP destroying the country our forefathers created and that too by using and abusing the name of Islam!
They are a major fitna which will further burden the struggling economy, create desperation and if unchecked will shatter the dream which was Pakistan.

The situation is not simple enough to assume everything can go back to the way it was, that is a reality we have to accept.
Having said this there is need of a multidimensional approach to resolve the issues.
Politically, religiously and militarily the Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan and their distorted and extremely intolerant interpretation of Islam has to be defeated.
In the end many of their current followers will realize that they are also being manipulated and barring a few hard core groups most will be pacified.

FATA needs to be part of mainstream Pakistan and this means that they should enjoy same rights as other people of Pakistan. British era rules and regulations should be slowly discarded and the people of FATA should have more say in the national affairs through their representation in the elected houses.These reforms have to be done now and the most respectable local elders and leaders should be made part of the reform process in order to ensure that public knows that it is for their betterment.
Political and administrative reforms are not something the Quaid would have objected to, since they are for the benefit of the people.

Pulling out Army and FC without implementing any reforms would actually enable TTP to further establish a stranglehold on all the areas.
Hypothetically speaking If i am a local and Army withdraws leaving me to the mercy of TTP, my survival instincts would force me to accept my future under TTP. Presence of the PA no matter how inefficient (due to lack of intelligence in the past) it seems would still give me some hope that government is not abandoning the territory to TTP.

This is Pakistan and not the personal property of TTP who so far are doing an outstanding job of damaging this country and destroying the lives of Muslims living in it.

 

[ejaz007]

Seven foreigners held in Bara crackdown
Thursday, January 22, 2009
By our correspondent

PESHAWAR: Security forces on Wednesday arrested seven foreign suspects during a crackdown in Bajri village near Bara Qadeem, an area where the outskirts of the provincial metropolis merge into the lawless suburb of the Khyber Agency.

It was learnt four of the arrested high-profile foreigners were Arabs while the rest were Afghans. The suspects have been shifted to an unknown location for interrogation. They were identified as Rustam, Khalid, Ayaz, Nisar, Riaz, Bakhshi and Zahir. However, a source termed all these names fake.

Security forces sealed the entire area and gunship helicopters were hovering over the territory. Sources said some foreign forces also took part in the operation and a US drone was also seen flying over the area.

When contacted, government circles, however, did not confirm the participation of foreign intelligence forces in the operation. The security forces suspected that the arrested foreigners were involved in attacks on terminals on the Ring road where supplies for the Nato forces were stored.

A senior police official expressed his ignorance over the arrest of foreigners in the outskirts of the city. AFP adds: Security forces on Wednesday arrested a Saudi, senior al-Qaeda operative allegedly wanted in connection with the 2005 attacks on London in a lightning raid in the tribal belt.

Security forces stormed a militant den in Peshawar, capturing the operative and six other suspected militants, a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The official said the al-Qaeda operative was wanted for the July 7, 2005 suicide bombings in London, and named him as Zabiul Taifi. “He’s been arrested in Peshawar this morning. The suspect has been shifted to Islamabad for interrogation,” the official said.

“It was a well-planned raid carried out against a militant den. The culprits were caught off guard and captured without resistance,” the official said. Another security official described the Saudi national as a plotter of the July 7 bombings that killed 52 commuters in the English capital.

Local officials in confirmed the arrests and said American investigators were present at the time of the operation. “We are investigating the reports,” said a spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London when asked about the Wednesday’s arrests. Some of the other six suspected militants arrested were Afghans, said the senior security official.

Seven foreigners held in Bara crackdown

 

[Anwar2]

Dear All-Green:

TTP is not really an object of love, admiration or positive energy. When you sow poisonous weeds, don’t expect to reap mangoes or apricots.

The rise of TTP in FATA / Swat (and now some settled areas) is mainly attributable to the ill conceived, US dictated, Army operations that resulted in thousands of deaths / casualties. Amidst death and despondency it’s a normal human reaction to cluster around a counter-force.

TTP is not really such a menace as projected at this forum. But I do agree that they are too simplistic in their interpretation of Shariah.

Gen. Tariq of FC is a bit “JAZBATEE”, what he does work pretty well for him. 1400 terrorists killed, 60 killed, 22 arrested … FC control over Khyber …. At this rate all the Taliban have been killed about 5 times over!. Mohmand, Bajaur, Swat are a few hours of driving time away, all parts of Pakistan. Just go there and see the things for yourself.