Operation Rah-e-Rast (Swat)

[ajpirzada]

Tribesmen forming militias to expel Taliban: army
Friday, 22 May, 2009 | 06:37 PM PST |

KHWAZAKHELA: Tribesmen near the Swat valley are raising militias to prevent the Taliban from expanding their influence in the region, a senior military commander said on Friday.

Major-General Sajjad Ghani, who is leading the offensive in the upper part of Swat valley, said people in neighbouring Kalam valley and Lower Dir district were raising their own militias, commonly known as lashkars, to confront the militants, Reuters reports

‘They are resolutely defending against the advance of the Taliban. That’s the silver lining that I can see,’ he told reporters during a trip to Swat arranged by the military.

In a sign of growing hostility, villagers in Kalam and Lower Dir have tried to expel the gunmen.

Several people were killed or wounded in a clash between armed villagers and Taliban fighters in Kalam on Thursday, provincial assembly member Jafar Shah told Reuters.

Villagers had made a similar stand in parts of Lower Dir, to the west of Swat, and the Taliban had pulled out of some areas, a provincial government official there said.

‘Today they stand isolated, not only in the valley but also at the national scene. I think this is a big achievement of the government as well as the military,’ military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said.

Ghani said civilian casualties were ‘less than double figures’ in areas under his command.

Ghani said two major militant strongholds had been secured in upper Swat and people who had fled the area would soon be asked to return to their homes.

Ghani said the military was determined to eliminate the Taliban and ruled out the possibility of any talks or a ceasefire with the militants.

‘This time it has been decided to take the operation to its logical conclusion aimed at eliminating the terrorists,’ he said.
DAWN.COM | Provinces | Tribesmen forming militias to expel Taliban: army

 

[khanz]

awesome to see both the citizens and army killing these monsters and uniting in a common cause to protect the country

 

[fatman17]

Pakistani troops encircle Taliban base in Swat

AP – A Pakistani flag flies over government troops installed on top of a defense position on a former base … By CHRIS BRUMMITT, Associated Press Writer Chris Brummitt, Associated Press Writer

KHWAZAKHELA, Pakistan – Troops are encircling Taliban militants in their mountain base as well as the main town in the Swat Valley, a Pakistani general said Friday, as the U.N. appealed for $543 million to ease the suffering of nearly 2 million refugees from the fighting.

Elsewhere in the northwest, a car bomb exploded close to a movie theater in the city of Peshawar, killing at least four people and wounding 20 others, witnesses and police office Noor Khan said. It was unclear who was behind the attack, but militants have targeted movie theaters before in the region, believing them to be un-Islamic.

With skepticism growing about the progress of the month-old army offensive in the northwestern region, the army flew a handful of reporters from foreign news organizations into Swat on Friday.

An Associated Press reporter aboard the helicopter saw no cars and few people in the town of Mingora or on roads farther up the valley, a former tourist haven just 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the capital, Islamabad.

From the air, there was little evidence of the fierce fighting and airstrikes that the military claims have already killed more than 1,000 militants as well as some 60 soldiers.

But a senior commander insisted the army was trapping militants in Mingora and Piochar, a side-valley farther north that is the stronghold of Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah.

"The noose is tightening around them. Their routes of escape have been cut off," Maj. Gen. Sajad Ghani said. "It's just a question of time before (Taliban leaders) are eliminated."

Pakistan launched an offensive last month to halt a Taliban advance from Swat toward the capital, Islamabad, that prompted U.S. warnings about the stability of the nuclear-armed country.

While the U.S. has praised the military operation, it is also contributing to a gathering effort to shield the government from the political fallout from the humanitarian crisis.

Officials say 1.9 million people have fled the fighting. More than 160,000 are staying in sweltering camps just south of the battle zone. The rest have been taken in by relatives.

The United Nations said its appeal would help provide food, schooling and health care to the multitude displaced from the Swat area and by fighting in other border regions last year.

"The scale of this displacement is extraordinary in terms of size and speed and has caused incredible suffering," said Martin Mogwanja, the acting U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Pakistan. "We are calling for generous support from the international community."

The U.N. said the figure included some $88 million from the United States, which this week pledged total assistance of $110 million in emergency aid.

The government said Thursday that international donors had pledged a total of $224 million. Pakistan, which is heavily dependent on foreign aid, has pledged $100 million of its own.

The Obama administration has declared eliminating militant havens in Pakistan vital to its goals of defeating al-Qaida and winning the war in Afghanistan.

But an army failure or a botched relief effort in Swat would further undermine Pakistani enthusiasm for tough military action inside its own borders.

The army claims to have won back swaths of territory in Swat, which was popular with tourists before the Taliban took over, enforcing a hardline brand of Islamic law and beheading opponents.

However, it faces stiff resistance from thousands more fighters and has ventured no prediction of when the Taliban will be defeated.

Ghani, the commander of military operations in the upper portion of the Swat valley

 

[ajpirzada]

i dont know if this video has already been posted.

 

[Neo]

AP Interview: Insurgents crossing into Pakistan​

By FISNIK ABRASHI, Associated Press Writer Fisnik Abrashi, Associated Press Writer – Fri May 22, 3:22 pm ET

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan – The top U.S. general in eastern Afghanistan said Friday he is seeing "some very interesting movement" of insurgents across the border into Pakistan this spring, possibly to join Taliban militants battling government troops. Fighters from both nations have long moved back and forth across the porous frontier, a mountainous region that has been a sanctuary for both al-Qaida and the Taliban.

But Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser's remarks in an interview with The Associated Press suggest a larger transfer into Pakistan than has been seen previously, as the fighting between Pakistan's troops and the Taliban has intensified.

There has been concern in Islamabad and Washington that the buildup of 21,000 additional U.S. forces in Afghanistan may push Taliban militants into Pakistan, further destabilizing the border region there. The Obama administration has declared eliminating militant havens in Pakistan vital to its goals of defeating al-Qaida and winning the war in Afghanistan.

Schloesser suggested that most of the movement in the past has been from Pakistan into Afghanistan, calling the new development "an interesting movement backward."

He did not provide details or numbers of those heading toward Pakistan.

It is unclear to what extent the Taliban is moving to help militants in Pakistan or fleeing from U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Schloesser suggested that both factors could be at play.

At the Pentagon, a senior U.S. military official on Friday cited concerns by Pakistani military chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani that the U.S. troop buildup in Afghanistan has been pushing the Taliban into Pakistan over the last several months.

But the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk more candidly about the issue, downplayed the urgency of the situation and said there's plenty of time to plan for and deal with any Taliban migration if it comes.

A second official said there's no intelligence or evidence to indicate a specific strategy by the Taliban to move back into Pakistan as a result of the recent fighting in the nation's northwest territories.

Most Taliban safe havens are in Pakistan, and U.S. officials have for months pointed to its border with Afghanistan and Pakistan as a place where extremists have been able to move freely.

Schloesser, who commands American troops in eastern Afghanistan, suggested that some of the current movement may be intended to reinforce Taliban fighters in Pakistan.

"I would suppose that ... some of that movement is fighters going back to help their insurgent groups that are involved in fighting, for example in Bajur or the fighting that is occurring in Buner or in the Dir area or potentially even in Swat," Schloesser said.

Pakistani troops launched an offensive last month in the Swat region against militants who had pushed into the adjacent Buner district within 60 miles of the capital, Islamabad.

The army claims it has killed more than 1,000 militants and won back swaths of territory in Swat. But it faces stiff resistance. Earlier this year, Pakistan launched an offensive in the Bajur tribal area.

Pakistani military officers say Afghan, Tajik and Uzbek fighters are taking part in the current fighting in Pakistan's Swat Valley and in other border regions, but that the vast majority are Pakistani.

Schloesser's troops helped the Pakistani offensive by trying to prevent militants from crossing from Afghanistan into Bajur.

The area under Schloesser's command includes the provinces of Nuristan, Kunar, Khost and Paktika, all with active insurgent groups, some supported from within Pakistan. It abuts most of Pakistan's volatile tribal areas.

The current movement of fighters into Pakistan could also partly be a result of pressure from the thousands of new U.S. troops that have joined the fight in Afghanistan this year, Schloesser said.

In Washington, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said Thursday he was concerned that the U.S. troop buildup to roust insurgents from Afghanistan could further destabilize Pakistan.

However, Mullen, speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the military planning is under way to try to avoid that.

Mullen said he believes the upcoming increase of 21,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan "is about right" for the new strategy of trying to quell the insurgency and speed up training of Afghan security forces.

 

[Neo]

Pakistan Says Uzbek, Chechen Fighters Aiding Taliban in Swat ​

May 22 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistani authorities said fighters from Uzbekistan and Chechnya are among foreign forces helping the Taliban battle the army in the northwestern Swat Valley.

“There is no doubt that some Uzbeks, Chechens and people of other nationalities were found involved with their designs to create an insurgency in Swat,” Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told reporters yesterday in the capital, Islamabad, according to the official Associated Press of Pakistan.

The Russian region of Chechnya and Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan were wracked by violence after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and fighters from both were reportedly trained by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan is fighting about 4,000 militants in Swat and neighboring districts who reneged on a peace accord and last month advanced toward the capital, even after the government agreed to introduce Islamic law in the area.

Pakistani troops arrested three Uzbek “militant commanders” who crossed from Afghanistan this week and were headed toward Swat to join the Taliban, the Daily Times newspaper said yesterday, citing a state security agent.

Fighting between the military and the Taliban in the northwest has forced 2 million people to flee since last month in what Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has described as the biggest exodus since Pakistan was founded in 1947.

The government has called for international aid to help cope with the refugee crisis and donors pledged about $224 million at a conference yesterday in Islamabad.

‘Hearts and Minds’

Gilani told foreign ambassadors at the conference that Pakistan has to demonstrate “visible” assistance to win the support of the refugees for the battle against the Taliban. “We have to win the hearts and minds of the people,” he said.

Pakistan may need $1 billion for reconstruction of property damaged in the fighting, Hina Rabbani Khar, junior minister for economic affairs, told reporters in Islamabad yesterday.

The Pakistani government has announced it will pay grants of 25,000 rupees ($310) to each displaced family from an 8 billion rupee fund.

The 2 million displaced people in the northwest join about 500,000 refugees who fled earlier fighting, according to the North West Frontier Province administration.

President Barack Obama has said an aid package to Pakistan worth $1.5 billion a year would be conditional on the government tackling Islamic extremists. The U.S. says the militants threaten the stability of the nuclear-armed nation and endanger American security.

 

[fatman17]

Troops trapping Taliban in Mingora, Peochar: army

* 36 Taliban killed in fighting in Swat and Dir
* Gen Ghani says Taliban escape routes cut off
* Says only ground troops operating in residential areas to avoid civilian casualties

Staff Report

RAWALPINDI: The army is trapping Taliban in Mingora and Peochar, the AP news agency quoted a senior commander as saying on Friday as the ISPR said three troops – including an officer – and 17 Taliban had been killed in the Swat operation.

Also, a private TV channel reported that 19 Taliban had been killed in fresh fighting in Dir, with the group on the retreat in Lower Dir’s Adenzai tehsil. The channel said the Taliban – in a deal with a jirga – had agreed to wind up their camps in Asbanr and Gulabad areas of Lower Dir.

Meanwhile, the ISPR said in a statement, “In the last 24 hours, 17 Taliban were killed and four arrested ... three troops, including an officer, died and 10 were injured in various areas of Swat.” Bodies of two policemen were also found in Miongora’s Nishat Chowk.

The military said it was consolidating positions and expanding control over Peochar valley. The troops also secured Taliban strongholds in Takhtaband village and Qambar.

“The noose is tightening around them. Their routes of escape have been cut off,” Maj Gen Sajjad Ghani told the AP news agency. “It’s just a question of time before (Taliban leaders) are eliminated.”

Residential areas: Ghani also sought to counter allegations that several civilians had died in army shelling. Only ground troops were operating in residential areas and the number of innocents killed in the area under his responsibility had ‘not reached double figures’, he said.

 

[RabzonKhan]

Starvation stalks Swat valley

By Faizullah Jan and Syed Irfan Ashraf
Saturday, 23 May, 2009

POLITICIANS and analysts are often heard discussing the measures being taken to minimise the collateral damage resulting from the Swat and Buner operations.

But their words come across as mere rhetoric to those who are actually experiencing a living hell. While the IDPs in camps have their own set of difficulties where the provision of necessities is involved, those who are still in the Swat valley are facing dire food shortages, a prolonged curfew and Taliban militancy. A phone call from the trapped people in the scenic town of Bahrain on the main Kalam-Mingora road indicates the measure of desperation. “We have been under curfew for the last three weeks. There is no wheat flour, no rice, no sugar, no medicine,” says Iqbal Khan. “Today we eat only peas and potatoes. Soon we will be foraging for leaves in the woods.”

Starvation also stalks the vales of Matta, Odegram, Hazara, Shill Hund, Shah Dheri and Kalam where, as in Bahrain, stocks of food and medicine are fast depleting. Thanks to the curfew, these areas have been cut off from the rest of the country ever since the military operation began. Worried about the looming starvation, a Kalam local, Noor Zada, says over the phone, “We are fighting on two fronts. The Taliban are about to take us to task for defying them while the absence of food and medicine can only kill us.”

While correct figures are not available, it is estimated that over 400,000 people are trapped in the northern belt of Swat stretching from Mingora, Miandam, Madyan and Bahrain to Kalam tehsil. At least 800,000 are believed to be stranded in Kabal, Aligrama, Hazara, Shah Dheri, Shill Hund etc. The plight of thousands living in the main town of Mingora and its outskirts is scarcely any different. While many are unwilling to leave because they are unsure of conditions in camps and the security of their families en route, some have chosen to stay back for other reasons.

In an essentially agrarian society like Swat, families cannot afford to abandon their hearths and homes. Their chattel, standing crops and orchards are their lifeline and looked upon as extensions of their body and soul. The poor farmers of upper Swat invest a whole season of their lives to plough fields and prune orchard trees.

When they lost tourism to the medieval mentality of the jihadists, potatoes and turnips were their only source of sustenance and revenue. They sold their yields down-country to make ends meet, also storing some of the produce for their own use in the harsh winters. But protracted hostilities in the valley have left them with no cash, and supplies in storage are virtually exhausted. Thus starvation awaits the population of Swat if the military operation does not rectify matters. The situation in lower Swat, including the outskirts of Mingora and Bari Kot, is equally alarming.

Operation Rah-i-Rast caught Swat residents unawares. They had little time to pack up and leave for a safer place. Only half the population of Swat managed to leave the valley of death. Even then, a majority left behind one or two family members to guard homes and keep an eye on standing crops and chattel. Others, including scores of families in upper Swat, could not flee due to non-availability of transport or simply because they could not afford the travel expenses. Children are missing in hundreds while families in Peshawar wait for male members to turn up, expecting them to have taken refuge with their relatives in upper Swat — although nothing is certain.

The stranded people face a bizarre situation: death is staring them in the face from three directions. If the military operation is a protracted one, they face starvation because of curfew and the consequent closure of supply routes; if the operation intensifies there is bound to be great collateral damage; and if the Taliban face defeat they may turn on the residents for not being on their side. Their fears are justified.

In November 2007, 60 militants with heavy weapons marched on Kalam tehsil in Swat. However, they left when a local jirga told them to implement Sharia in lower Swat first and then extend it to Kalam. Many Taliban took this as defiance. After two years, over 50 Taliban armed with sophisticated weapons reached Kalam to settle past scores. This led to a clash in which six Taliban were taken hostage. The issue was resolved on Thursday, when the elders of Kalam, fearing a Buner-like situation in which suicide bombings and brutal punishments were imposed on the people for defying the Taliban, offered to free the captured militants in return for the release of 150 of their own people in Taliban custody.

Meanwhile, hospitals in these areas are not functioning. There is no electricity, no medicine, no doctors. Collateral damage does not simply mean death by a stray mortar shell and carpet bombing — it can also include fatalities caused by starvation and disease. This is what analysts and strategists are not factoring into their discussion about civilian casualties in Swat.

With many Swat residents wanting to move out of the area, they need to be supported by the government. The first thing that the government can do is to provide them safe passage — in Kurram Agency people were airlifted although there could be technical difficulties in doing so where Swat’s larger population is concerned — before they end up as the Taliban’s human shields. But before that food and medicine must be airdropped, especially in areas where the militants have not reached.

Today the people of Swat loathe the Taliban and look towards the government to rescue them. They are ready to fight alongside the army against the extremists. But if the government’s apathy and the people’s agony persist — as exemplified at the time of writing by a procession from Bahrain marching towards Madyan chanting ‘atta do ya raasta do’ (‘give us bread or safe passage’) we can end up counting Swat residents among the Taliban.

 

[brilTek]

A strategic mountain "Banibaba Ziarat" taken by Pakistan army

International Reportes visited area for the first time. A separate thread (Pakistani military shows off captured Taliban base) contains articles, exclusive two videos and pics. click here..


Note: Please read in full to know how talibans are using tunnel network . very shocking and revealing


A trip of international reporters in Islamabad was arranged by ISPR on 22nd May 2009, two days after Pakistan army took back Banani Baba Ziarat a strategic mountain which was being used by militants as training and communication base in the valley against security forces.

Pakistan Army personnel took position on ridged mountain top overlooking a vast area around and under more than 7000 feet high Mountain.


“This was being used as training, communication and operational base by Talibans against us for last two years”, Maj. Gen. Saajad Ghani, operational commander for Swat operation, Operation Rah-e-Rast, said in his briefing to media reporters. “They wanted to retain it at all cost.”, Ghani added.


This briefing also revealed some interesting facts about the tactics used by militants in the area. Banai Baba mountain base also houses a complex tunnel network with necessary facilities like electricity and ventilation systems.

Briefing was arranged at military base at Khwazakhela where some of the suspected militants were also presented in front of international media by army.

Intense clashes took place before Pakistan army secured the tunnel network and mountain afterwards on 20th May 2009. Tunnel network is similar to one faced by Army in Bajur operation earlier this year. (Image source: Reuters)

Some parts of tunnels were being used as residential and meeting areas, while others were used as to dump ammunition. Tunnels also provided excellent trap for unknown persons who try to enter into these as exits points were only known to militants. They fled out from one opening, after army men entered these tunnels, and reentered while shooting at army from other opening.

Apart from tunnel network and arrested militants, plethora of propaganda literature was also recovered along with some chemical sacks being used for making explosive devices and suicide jackets.


Taking over Banai Baba Ziarat is just one step further towards complete abolition of Taliban thread from Malakand. Military offensive on multiple fronts in valley is a tactical move by army to achieve disseverance of Taliban so that advantage of having high ground by Talibans can be counteracted. So far this is paying dividend to security forces thanks to Pakistan Air Force which did some precision strikes on Taliban strong hold before ground forces were able to climb in. But there is a lot to do in and after military operation

Many areas of Swat including main town of Mangora is still in hold of Taliban and it is reported that this is place where large number Taliban fighters, including foreigners like Tajiks, Uzbiks and Arabs, are present to take on advances of Pakistan army.

Maj. Gen. Ghani also told the reports that armed forces have encircled the Taliban in various parts of valley and all exits from valley have been blocked. “The noose is tightening around them. It is just matter of time when leadership of Taliban will be eliminated.”

Dense forests and excruciatingly rugged terrain is one challenge to overcome for army in order to move on while IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) planted on roads is another.Due to these difficulties army commanders in area are reluctant to give any time frame for accomplishing operation. But as per army briefing to media on this occasion operation can further extend for two to three months.

Source: Aisan Tribune - A strategic mountain taken by Pakistan army

 

[ajpirzada]

Pak Army fighting for Pakistan’s stability: Hoti
Updated at: 1652 PST, Saturday, May 23, 2009
PESHAWAR: NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti Saturday said the armed forces are fighting the battle for Pakistan’s stability.

Talking to media here at PAF Base Peshawar on the occasion of receiving relief goods from Air Vice Marshal Wasimuddin, the Chief Minister said no timeframe could be given for the end of Malakand operation.

The goods, loaded on 18 trucks, included tents, water coolers, mattresses, fans and edibles.

Amir Haider Hoti said so far good amount of aid has been pledged. But, keeping in view the magnanimity of the human tragedy, Pakistan is seeking more help from international donors.

“Strict check is being kept on suspected people coming in the garb of affectees,” he said.

On the occasion Air Vice Marshal Wasimuddin said Pakistan Air Force is with the NWFP government and that the victims will be helped in all respects.

Pak Army fighting for Pakistan’s stability: Hoti - GEO.tv

 

[Patriot]

I think Taliban Rats have ordered their death now.They've killed too many Army Soldiers ad SSG Commandos.I don't think Army has any patience now.Finish these rats with or without public support.

 

[ajpirzada]

today troops have entered mangora and street fightin has started. one militant commander has also been arrested during the fighting in mangora.

Troops enter Mingora, fierce street fights erupt

Saturday, 23 May, 2009 | 05:42 PM PST |

Pakistani army troops patrol the village of Pir Baba in troubled Buner district on May 22, 2009 where the military launched operations against Taliban militants. – AFP Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces entered Mingora, the Swat Valley's main city, on Saturday and killed at least 17 Taliban militants as a new phase of their offensive against the militants began, the military said.

Chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said parts of Mingora had already been cleared and that 17 militants, including an important commander, were killed during the most recent fighting of Pakistan's northwest offensive.

The ground assault on Mingora, a city with an estimated population of around 300,000 - of whom many have fled - marks the most crucial part of the military's blistering offensive against the Taliban in the scenic valley.

'Today the most important phase of operation Rah-e-Rast, the clearance of Mingora, has commenced,' the military said in a statement on its website.

'In the last 24 hours, security forces have entered Mingora; 17 miscreants-terrorists, including important miscreant commander were killed,”added the statement, written in English.

The military reported intense exchanges of fire and said one would-be suicide bomber was shot dead and that another 'suicide vehicle' rigged with explosives had been destroyed.

Pakistani troops had been slowly tightening their encirclement of the city for days and Abbas said Saturday that militant supplies had been cut off.

'Mingora was surrounded from four directions and militant supplies were cut off,' Abbas told a news conference.

The prospect of an assault on Mingora, which has loomed for days, has raised fears of a bloody battle and the possibility of civilian casualties.

US-based Human Rights Watch earlier this week quoted residents as saying the Taliban had mined Mingora and 'prevented many civilians from fleeing, using them as 'human shields' to deter attack.'

The group also said Pakistani forces 'appeared to have taken insufficient precautionary measures in aerial and artillery attacks that have caused a high loss of civilian life.'

Pakistani commanding officers have stressed that soldiers are under top-level orders to avoid collateral damage and not to use either artillery or air strikes in built-up areas.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect...s-enter-mingora-fierce-street-fights-erupt-05

 

[brilTek]

today troops have entered mangora and street fightin has started. one militant commander has also been arrested during the fighting in mangora.

i saw ISPR interview on Geo just now......

Good going...: Thanks for updating us/minute.

Inshallah Victory is not far away.

Here is confirmation to your news

Pakistan army 'in Taliban town: BBC'​

Pakistani forces have clashed with Taliban fighters after entering the main town in the militant-controlled Swat Valley, the military has said.

At least 17 militants have been killed in the clashes in Mingora, it said.

The push into the town is the latest phase of an offensive aimed at crushing the militants, whose influence extends across a wide area of the north-west.

The army has been fighting the Taliban in Swat and other areas since a peace deal broke down earlier this month.

 

[dabong1]

ISLAMABAD: Security forces stormed into the main town in the Swat valley and fought street battles Saturday in a bid to capture the capital of the northwest district from militant control, the military said.

The director general of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Athar Abbas told a news conference that parts of Mingora had already been cleared and that 17 militants, including an important commander of Matta Usman, were killed during the most recent fighting of Pakistan's northwest offensive. He said another important commander; Khursheed Qasai has been arrested from Watta Kali area.

The ground assault on Mingora, a city with an estimated population of around 300,000 -- of whom many have fled -- marks the most crucial part of the military's blistering offensive against militants in the scenic valley.

Mingora has effectively been under militant control for weeks and -- as the administrative and business hub of the entire district -- its capture is essential for the military to be able to declare ultimate victory in Swat.

"Today the most important phase of operation Rah-e-Rast, the clearance of Mingora, has commenced," Abbas said.

"In the last 24 hours, security forces have entered Mingora; 17 miscreants-terrorists, including important miscreant commander were killed," he said.

The military reported intense exchanges of fire and said one would-be suicide bomber was shot dead and that another "suicide vehicle" rigged with explosives had been destroyed.

Troops had been slowly tightening their encirclement of the city for days and Abbas said that militant supplies had been cut off.
Security forces storm into Mingora: ISPR

 

[ajpirzada]

Army consolidates in Qambar as Mingora search operation begins

RAWALPINDI (updated on: May 23, 2009, 16:46 PST): Security Forces have entered Mingora; 17 miscreants-terrorists including commander were killed in last 24 hours.

Army spokesman Major General Ather Abbas was addressing a joint press conference with Federal Minister Information and Broadcasting, Qamar-uz-Zaman Kaira have said that the most important phase of operation Rah-e-Rast, the clearance of Mingora, has commenced.

Security forces have also cleared the area from circuit house to Makan Bagh including Continental Hotel.

DG ISPR also said that clearance of Nawan Killi has started, link up between forces coming from Fiza Ghat to Whataki Chowk and Ayub Bridge to Nawan Killi exchange has been completed.

Troops have consolidated their positions at Qambar ridge which is overlooking Mingora. During expansion at Qambar Ridge, 6 miscreants have been killed. Their bodies are lying there. During search and destroy operation 3 Caves having large quantity of ammunition and rations have been discovered. Moreover a transmission station alongwith base unit has also been captured.

Intense exchange of fire is taking place at Nishat Chowk – Mingora.

One suicide bomber was shot dead, while one suicide vehicle loaded with explosives has been destroyed at Makanzai-Mingora. Miscreant’s locations at Hira School Sharifabad was targeted and a number of miscreants-terrorists have been reportedly killed.

Khurshid known as Qasai has been captured from Watakai.

Forces also have achieved substantial gains in Peochar Valley. Miscreants-terrorists are on the run in small groups from the Peochar valley after the successful operation by security forces. It has shattered the myth of miscreants-terrorists in the Valley and has increased the confidence of local population in armed forces.

Locals have voluntarily surrendered weapons kept for protection purpose on the instructions of Security Forces.

The locals of Peochar revealed that they were subjected to forced labour and atrocities by miscreants- terrorists.

They also vowed to support the Security Forces in identification of militants.

Forces have successfully secured the vital Wanai Bridge linking Matta with Peochar.

Troops are consolidating their positions around Alam Ganj, Nazarabad, Uchraisar and Wanai Bridge. During exchange of fire between security forces and miscreants, one soldier was wounded. Miscreant Commander of Matta, Usman Alias Butcher was killed.

Cordon and search operations are being conducted on information of miscreants’ arrival in Qambar bazaar. Yesterday, 5 miscreants were killed and one compound destroyed.

Miscreants fire raided a post located north of Qambar Bazar but attack was repulsed.

One vehicle of miscreants – terrorists destroyed by Kalpani post alongwith 4 miscreants. Weapons, large sized batteries and mobiles recovered from vehicle.

Army consolidates in Qambar as Mingora search operation begins : Business Recorder | LATEST NEWS