Operation Rah-e-Rast (Swat)

[ajpirzada]

Taliban seeking money, men and weapons

By Iqbal Khattak

PESHAWAR: The Taliban are seeking money, men and weapons from the residents of the conflict-hit areas, urging them to “live and die together” fighting against the security forces, a resident of Kanju town in Swat district said Monday.

“The Taliban appear to have been running short of money, men and weapons to fight the army for long as they are seeking a fighter from each family, a Kalashnikov, or a Rs 50,000 donation,” said Bakht Rawan, whose original name has been withheld for security reasons.

Kanju is strategically located south of Mingora and has access to the Kabal and Matta tehsils. The Taliban held the town before the security forces took it back on May 22.

Rawan said the Taliban held a jirga with residents of Hazara area (in Kabal tehsil) at a mosque on Saturday and told them they were running short of ammunition and also needed Kalashnikovs. They urged the people not to leave for safer places. “Let’s live and die together,” the Taliban commanders told the villagers who have however decided to migrate.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan


to me this article is really important. it appears security forces have successfuly cut off all the supply lines and are also not lettin any talibans from else where to get in. also claims of security forces destroyin many ammunition dumps can be varified from here. that peace deal gave a gud enough time to our agencies to collect intelligence which is now payin of...

 

[Enigma SIG]

live and die together

why dont they just f****** die alone?
bloody cowards...

it seems tho that the army has driven them into a hole...

 

[asq]

well i meant that they are comin through afghanistan. now i dont know wats the origin of these weapons. some are definately US made. there was a report on this as well.

Can Nato not stop these arms being smuggled into Pakistan.

 

[iioal malik]

RAWALPINDI: Security forces are carrying on operation against miscreants in Malakand division.

The security forces have taken control of Malam Jabba and Airport Raod in MingoraInter-Services Public Relation reported on Monday.

Maalam Jabba, located on main line of communication connects Swat Valley with Mansehra, was being used as a training centre and logistic base by the terrorists.
Security forces takes control of Malam Jabba - GEO.tv

 

[fatman17]

Can Nato not stop these arms being smuggled into Pakistan.

maybe its not in their TOE just like eradication of the poppy crop!

 

[S-2]

"...maybe its not in their TOE just like eradication of the poppy crop"

Well, it seems the problem of opium is now localized into five provinces- Helmand (103,000 hectares), Farah (15,000 hectares), Kandahar (14,000 hectares), Orazgun (9,000), and Nimroz (6,000).

That leaves 10,000 hectares in the other 29 or so provinces IIRC the 2008 UNODC report.

Nangahar, tied for first with Helmand in 2005, reported ZERO hectares last year.

I can't speak for the Brits and Canadians although there are some hard reasons why the south is so bent relative to the rest of the land, nor can I be assured that gains elsewhere are irreversible as there are mitigating factors to include drought and the effects of some good local afghan leaders.

Both of those can be reversed as weather changes and good leaders become targets by virtue of their fine work but both weapons and dope ARE a concern and, I believe, both the GAO weapons studies and recommended changes as well as the recent gains in opium cultivation reflect this emphasis.

McKiernan wanted to get after the drug lords and make it a part of the ISAF mission. Euros whined here. Nonetheless, we can assume that increased combat operations in the south will begin to erode what's been, effectively, a second sanctuary for all intents and in many different respects. I don't anticipate McCrystal changing this portion of the deployment plan for this year.

Remember, the Brits had never been south of Garmsir town until last month. NEVER. That's a LOOOONG way from Garmsir to the Pakistani border in Helmand and it was once ALL taliban.

It won't stay that way is my guess.

I hope you and others will believe such too but recognize, like anything else, the proof is in the pudding...so to speak.

 

[waraich66]

PA has to develop long strategy to control them.
1. Permanent check post on all routes should be established.
2. Mark and isolate their postions.
3.Local tribes should also be included in this operation clean up.
4.Talaban Marasah's should be given under control of local trible committes .
5.Pakistan Afghan boarder should be closed with fence,security cameras need to be installed (estimated cost 700 million dollars @.5 million dollar per kilometer).

 

[ajpirzada]

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) — Pakistani soldiers advanced through northwest Swat valley's capital Tuesday, as a rights group warned of a looming catastrophe for those trapped by a month-long anti-Taliban offensive.

As the punishing assault against the Islamist insurgents entered a fifth week, security officials said troops had secured 70 percent of Mingora, the capital of the scenic Swat valley and a crucial tactical battleground.

Nearly 2.4 million people have fled as Islamabad struggles to wrest back Swat and two nearby districts from the Taliban, whose two-year insurgency has torn apart an area once popular with tourists for its peaks and pristine ski slopes.

Now, the mountain villages and valley towns have been transformed into a war zone, with tens of thousands of terrified civilians trapped with scant food and water. Some 20,000 people are believed to be stuck in under-siege Mingora.

"Some 70 percent of the area in Mingora is under control of the army," said a senior military official, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

"Security forces have strengthened their positions in Mingora and search operations are being carried out in the areas which are under our control."

Taliban extremists bent on imposing a harsh brand of Islamic law had for the past weeks patrolled the streets armed with guns and rocket launchers, but a Mingora resident said now their bodies littered the roadside.

"Taliban were seen patrolling in my area until four days ago but now army troops are moving here in a big number," said Ahmadullah, who gave one name only and owns a pharmacy in Mingora's Malukabad neighbourhood.

"Bodies of Taliban are lying everywhere in my area as well as in nearby localities," he told AFP by telephone.

"There are at least three bodies of Taliban lying in my locality. I identified them because near them lie their dusty turbans and weapons."

A Taliban spokesman had Monday told AFP that firebrand commander Maulana Fazlullah asked insurgents to withdraw from Mingora, but added: "We will fight for the enforcement of sharia law till the last drop of our blood."

The security official said troops had also established bunkers on mountains around Saidu Sharif -- Swat's old capital next door to Mingora -- while fighting continued in two villages within 25 kilometres (15 miles) of the town.

"Helicopter gunships shelled militant hideouts in Kanju and Kabal areas on Tuesday morning," the official said.

Security forces launched their onslaught in the districts of Lower Dir on April 26, Buner on April 28 and Swat on May 8, after Taliban fighters advanced to within 100 kilometres (60 miles) of Islamabad.

The UN refugee agency says that 2.38 million people have been registered as displaced since May 2, citing figures from provincial authorities, while fears grow for tens of thousands unable to escape the fierce fighting.

"People trapped in the Swat conflict zone face a humanitarian catastrophe unless the Pakistani military immediately lifts a curfew that has been in place continuously for the last week," said Brad Adams, director of New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch.

"The government cannot allow the local population to remain trapped without food, clean water and medicine as a tactic to defeat the Taliban."

Reports of civilians killed in the crossfire continued to flood in, HRW said. Pakistan's military has said it is taking all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties, but has not released any figures for such deaths.

The military says nearly 1,160 militants and 69 soldiers have died in the current offensive, but those tolls cannot be confirmed independently.

The Taliban advance last month came despite a February deal with a pro-Taliban cleric which put three million people in the northwest under sharia law in a bid to end the two-year insurgency.

Elsewhere in the troubled North West Frontier Province on Tuesday, two policemen were wounded in a roadside bomb in Tank district, near a rugged tribal area believed to be a hub of Al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants.
AFP: Pakistan closes on Taliban as fears grow for civilians

 

[ajpirzada]

Pakistan’s focus turns to reconstruction in Swat
By Farhan Bokhari in Peshawar

Published: May 26 2009 10:46 | Last updated: May 26 2009 10:46

Pakistan’s fight against Taliban militants in the northern Swat valley will have to be followed up with rapid reconstruction to avoid “very big trouble” arising from refugees returning to the wartorn region, said head of the Pakistan military’s relief effort.

“We have to give good governance to the people with law enforcement as the top priority. We must also consider rapidly putting in place an infrastructure with all the basics covered,” said Lieutenant-General Nadeem Ahmed, head of the special support group (SSG) in charge of providing emergency relief to internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Swat.

Preliminary estimates suggest that reconstruction beyond emergency relief will cost “one billion US dollars plus” for the five administrative districts including Swat and its surrounding areas now at the centre of conflict, said General Ahmed. However, an accurate estimate will only come after the conflict ends and first-hand assessments of the destruction are gathered.

Speaking for the first time about the military’s role in a post-conflict situation, General Ahmed said that after the fighting ends, the army could stay in Swat for up to six months and may extend its presence for a further six months, mainly for the civil and police administration to take complete charge.

On Wednesday, the Pakistan army was preparing to airdrop emergency supplies to people still trapped in Swat. Meanwhile, debate is growing over the need to temporarily halt the military operation for carrying out emergency relief operations, relief workers said. However, government officials warned that suspending the operation at the time may give a window of opportunity to the Taliban militants to flee the region just when they appear to be cornered.

Western diplomats said the Pakistan Army is rapidly gaining the upper hand and is almost assured of a military victory against retreating Taliban militants.

However, there were warnings of a growing risk coming from a failure to rehabilitate anywhere between 2-2.5m people believed to have fled the region.

“It is a case of a clean military victory through military means, then leading to questions over that victory if the people of Swat continue to suffer without adequate help later,” said one Western diplomat in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

Last week, Pakistan received promises of $224m in emergency foreign assistance for the displaced people of Swat while the UN put out an emergency appeal seeking $454m in aid for the IDPs.

General Ahmed denied a comparison made by a UN official that the exodus from Swat was the worst since the Rwandan exodus of the 1990s.

“We are taking great care to avoid collateral damage and there is a plan for their safe return. Besides, these people have family linkages in areas where they have arrived. They are not totally helpless, there can be no comparison(with Rwanda),” he said.
FT.com / In depth - Pakistan?s focus turns to reconstruction in Swat

 

[ajpirzada]

Forces kill 29 militants, 40 arrested: ISPR


ISLAMABAD (updated on: May 26, 2009, 17:10 PST): Army has claimed of killing 29 militants and apprehending 40 others in its ongoing offensive against miscreants in Swat and other parts of Malakand division in last 24 hours, ISPR said.

Addressing a press briefing here, Director General ISPR Maj Gen Athar Abbas said that six soldiers were also embraced martyrdom and 12 others were injured in the battles with militants took place mostly in Swat.

“Street by street battles are presently underway in Mingora, the chief town of Swat,” Abbas said, claiming that the forces have captured almost all the major chowks of the town.

Giving the details of the war-fronts in the area, he said that the forces had launched an offensive from Sangota and Kanju areas, pushing the militants towards Kabal where severe battle with the miscreants is presently underway. Three villages were also cleared by the forces during the advancement towards Kanju, he added.

Abbas said that the forces foiled an attack by more than 100 militants at Kalpnai check post of Lower Dir, killing eight of them.

Forces kill 29 militants, 40 arrested: ISPR : Business Recorder | LATEST NEWS

 

[rokhanyousafzai]

i dont think that is fair people of swat are not like the people of the tribal areas. they are not that martial in their everyday life as the people in the tribal areas. the taliban keep talking about sharia and who in pakistan would oppose what they are saying so this is another ploy. as far as the video goes this was before the peace deal and people had some hope that the taliban would give up arms this obviously did not happen but know the people of pakistan have seen there real face and that is why there is so much support for the military operation.

i have friends from mingora and beleive me it was like the news the initially there was taliban suppourt because they werent bothering anyone. Im saying to a certain degree obviously the people of swat are responsible for giving the fazullah the power they did but obviously our hearts go out to them now and there is full suppourt for the army now

 

[ajpirzada]

these talibans used ppl of swat in the name of Islam. but now ppl of swat know the real aim of talibans which is definately not Islam.
in this tought time we should stand with our families from swat and should not blame them. when things calm down and ppl go back to their houses then we can tell them wat mistake did they make so that they dont do it again.

 

[fatman17]

mods pls merge in swat stickey

 

[batmannow]

Green Chowk becomes ‘Khooni Chowk’

Tuesday, 26 May, 2009 | 01:31 PM PST |

www.dawn.com

ISLAMABAD: The Taliban left so many mutilated bodies at the crossing, some hanging from trees with threatening notes, that Pakistanis in the Swat Valley's main town took to calling it ‘bloody intersection.’


On Sunday, the army said that spot and seven other major crossings in Mingora were secured, part of street-by-street urban fighting whose success is considered critical to flushing out the militants from the valley as a whole.
The events underscored how widespread and entrenched militant activity is along Pakistan's rugged region bordering Afghanistan, and how pushing the Taliban out of Swat is unlikely to defuse the overall insurgency beleaguering the nuclear-armed Muslim nation.

A military statement Sunday said forces had encountered at least 12 roadside bombs while securing the eight intersections. Five suspected militants were killed in various parts of Mingora while 14 others were arrested, the army said.
The retaking of Green Chowk could have serious symbolic value.
Residents nicknamed it ‘khooni chowk’ or ‘bloody intersection’ because the militants would leave their victims' bodies there, some decapitated, some killed in other brutal fashions. The dead often were left hanging from trees. Some had notes attached that accused the victims of spying and told local residents not to move the bodies until specified times.
It was just one fear tactic used by Taliban fighters to exert control over the population of Mingora, which when not under army siege normally has at least 375,000 residents.
Some 10,000 to 20,000 residents are still stranded in the town, according to the army.

One trapped civilian said that gunshots were ringing through the air, first continuously then at intervals. He said he had tried to flee the city twice but failed due to the fighting and lack of transportation.
‘I will try to leave again whenever I get another chance,’ said Fazal Wadood, a local leader of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N party. ‘It is like inviting death to stay here anymore.’
Overall in the valley, 10 militants were killed in the past 24 hours while three security troops died, the army statement said.

It added that troops had entered Piochar village, a hub in a remote part of Swat that is the rear base for Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah. A huge cache of arms and a bomb-making factory were unearthed, the statement said.
The military says about 1,100 suspected insurgents have died so far in the month long offensive in Swat and neighboring districts. It has not given any tally of civilian deaths, and it's unclear how it is separating noncombatants killed from militants. Residents fleeing the region have reported dozens of ordinary Pakistanis killed in the fight.
Some 1,500 to 2,000 hard-core insurgent fighters remain in Swat, the army says. Information provided by the military and civilians is nearly impossible to verify independently because of limited access to the area.

 

[TalibanSwatter]

I wanted to bring your attention to this video on youtube - Its a Dunya TV reporter, Arif Yusufzai, interviewing the four SSG commandoes captured in Swat. I find it quite shocking the way the reporter is insulting and demeaning the SSG soldiers. I think the goverment should investigate the role of this reporter (in addition to that of the ex-comissioner) in this whole sordid affair.

Check out the YouTube link posted by kamranali75 on May 18.

For some reason, I am unable to include the you tube link in the post.