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Operation Rah-e-Rast (Swat)

Troops seize huge quantity of ammunition near Landikotal

LANDIKOTAL: The Khyber Rifles and Khasadar have confiscated a huge quantity of ammunition at Loy Shelman Ghunda Khel, a far-flung area to the north of Landikotal. The security forces raided a house in Loy Shelman after being tipped off while investigating two arrested suspects, said Khyber Rifles Commandant Colonel Furqan at the Landikotal army camp. Furqan said the suspects – who were ammunition dealers in Landikotal – were arrested by FC personnel earlier. He said that Afghan national Noor Afghan was the main suspect in smuggling weapons from Afghanistan to Loy Shelman, from where the arrested dealers supplied the weapons to Mohmand and Orakzai. sudhir ahmad afridi
 
Swat reconstruction will take three years: ERU

* Officials say WB, ADB involved in estimation of losses
* Report approved by WB, ADB to be shared with donor countries

By Iqbal Khattak

PESHAWAR: Two international financial institutions – the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank – were involved in the validation and verification process of damages and needs assessment in Swat and other Malakand districts where the army has been battling the Taliban, said an official on Tuesday, and estimated that the reconstruction process would be completed in three years.

“The two financial institutions’ involvement will help speed up the process to estimate the exact cost of damages and needs,” Shakil Qadir Khan, a member of the government’s Emergency Response Unit, told Daily Times in an interview.

Authorities put the cost of reconstruction and rehabilitation in Swat at $2.5 billion dollars, but that figure was described as a “very initial estimate” and the amount could increase when the final assessment report comes out.

“The $2.5 billion figure is a very initial estimate,” said the ERU official, who is involved in the second of the three-phased, post-operation plans for the area. “Actual figures will only be available when the final report comes out.”

The ERU official said the report, to be approved by the WB and the ADB, would be shared with donor countries and agencies. “The verification and validation by the two financial institutions would leave nothing to doubt about the exact level of damages and needs.”

Shakil said the reconstruction and rehabilitation of affected areas would be completed in three years if the required money were made available in time.
 
Skirmishes in battle for Pakistan

By Mahir Ali
Wednesday, 22 Jul, 2009

Even a tentative sigh of relief would probably be premature, but the trickle of refugees back to their towns and villages in Swat is a hopeful sign.

The exodus was rapid; the return, inevitably, is much slower. And it ought not to be misconstrued as a vote of confidence in official claims that the valley has indeed been cleared of Taliban: it appears that a number of those who have volunteered to be repatriated have done so because they were told that the offer of financial assistance would expire if they hesitated.

Those still reluctant to make the journey are not procrastinating because they are enamoured of the tent cities where they have been put up. They were driven from their homes through intimidation and fear, and it is uncertainty, above all, that is keeping them away. Reports suggest the army did indeed get the better of the Taliban once it resolved to do so, but that the majority of them melted away.

Besides, according to most accounts, the army’s writ does not extend beyond settled areas and the main roads, and there were reports of clashes as recently as last week. And if Maulana Fazlullah has indeed been put out of action, that he remains elusive despite the serious injuries provides cause for concern. The worrying implication is that a long-term military presence will be required to maintain the tentative status quo. Gratifyingly, it appears that the troops by and large succeeded in avoiding civilian casualties in combat. Indefinitely retaining a modicum of local goodwill may prove to be a trickier proposition.

The populace in South Waziristan, meanwhile, is likely to be considerably more wary of military activities. The operation in Swat turned out to be a relative public relations success for the government in Islamabad: it was able to convince significant segments of popular opinion that military action in this context was essential to restricting jihadist extremism. The Taliban, too, came to the party by offering plenty of evidence that their brand of obscurantism does not have a great deal in common with the average Pakistani’s interpretation of Islam. It thus became possible to portray the operation as a patriotic endeavour rather than just another case of doing Washington’s bidding.

It will be harder to convey the same impression in South Waziristan, not least because the US has directly been involved in military activities in that region — notably through air-strikes via unmanned Predators, which ostensibly target militant strongholds but inevitably entail large numbers of civilian casualties. It is not difficult to understand why Lord Bingham, Britain’s most senior law lord until last year, in a recent interview compared drone attacks with landmines and cluster bombs, saying that some weapons were so “cruel as to be beyond the pale of human tolerance”.

Under successive regimes, Pakistan has long maintained an untenable ambiguity about drone strikes, which has naturally fed into the assumption that Islamabad is fighting Washington’s war, while the presumed presence of Al Qaeda leaders and training camps in the region has enabled the US to claim that the territory is fair game in its ‘war on terror’. Last month, The New York Times quoted anonymous US officials as claiming that Al Qaeda operatives were abandoning their Pakistani haven and moving into Somalia and Yemen, the implication being that the Predator attacks had driven them away.

US President Barack Obama has more or less consistently been of the view that whereas the war against Iraq was sheer folly, the ****** venture is a legitimate means of averting terrorist attacks against his country. Although there can be little doubt that Al Qaeda, for whatever it’s worth, has had the US in its sights, the ambitions of the Taliban for the most part have been local, albeit couched in anti-American rhetoric, if only because that sort of rhetoric has resonance.

It is therefore amusing but not entirely surprising that opponents of Baitullah Mehsud have described him as being in thrall to the US, as well as India and Israel. After one of them, Qari Zainuddin Mehsud, was murdered by his bodyguard and had to be buried in a Shia graveyard in Dera Ismail Khan, his brother, Misbahuddin, defended the government’s Waziristan operation but also declared that the anti-Nato ‘jihad’ in Afghanistan would continue: “Pakistan’s government [has] always supported us in the jihad in Afghanistan,” he said.

Similarly, following the murder in Lahore of the anti-Taliban Barelvi cleric Sarfraz Naeemi, his son was quoted by The Washington Post as launching a diatribe “against the American, Israeli and Indian intelligence services, accusing them of supporting the Taliban in order to destabilise Pakistan and seize control of its nuclear arsenal”.

It wouldn’t matter much, of course, if such outlandish theories were a jihadist preserve. But they aren’t. The US may be the only country that has tried to live up to its commitments in the context of assisting refugees from Swat, yet the military authorities were understandably keen to avoid a visible American presence in the vicinity of the camps.

That the US has over the decades played a seriously deleterious role in Pakistani affairs is beyond dispute, but it has invariably done so at the behest and with the connivance of powerful local elements. Primary responsibility for the nation’s multifarious woes has always been indigenous. The ingrained habit of heaping most blame on outside forces hinders meaningful self-reflection. Mumbai mass murderer Ajmal Amir Kasab’s confession is an invaluable reminder of where the toxic combination of jihadist zeal and extreme anti-Indian prejudice can lead.

Were the nation collectively to gaze into a mirror, many of its worst foes should readily be apparent to the unbiased eye. However, certain distortions of vision have over the years almost acquired the status of a raison d’être and even 20:20 hindsight is a rarity. This is singularly unfortunate, given that ultimately the struggle for Pakistan must be waged and won — or lost — in the battlefield of ideas.
mahir.dawn@gmail.com
 
Rawalpindi - July 21, 2009:

1. Search and clearance operation by Security Forces continued in Swat and Malakand during last 24 hours.

2. Swat

Security forces conducted rescue operation near Dardial and successfully rescued Dr Shamsher Khan, brother of MPA M Ali, who was abducted for ransom by terrorists 2 months back. A number of weapons alongwith ammunition were also seized from the hideout.

During conduct of search operation at Damgarh and Mamderai, Security Forces spotted 5 terrorists clad in burqa, trying to escape from the area. They were apprehended alongwith SMGs, while 5 terrorists were killed. During exchange of fire with terrorists, 3 soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer embraced Shahadat.

Security forces discovered a cave and 10 dead bodies of terrorists inside cave during search operation at Kalagai Banda. Local terrorist commander Sardar Ali and Qalagai Banda Nazim who was facilitator of terrorists were apprehended alongwith 3 vehicles.

Security forces conducted search operation in area around Piochar and recovered 216 boxes of ammunition of various calibers from the hideouts of terrorists.

Security forces carried out search operation at Ganjir near Topsin resultantly 1 terrorist was killed and 1 was apprehended.

3. Relief / Repatriation Activities

197,285 cash cards have been distributed amongst the IDPs of Malakand.

So far 3.29 billion rupees have been withdrawn by the IDPs of Malakand.


---

KIT Over n Out :victory::pakistan::sniper::guns:
 
Pakistani Prime Minister Calls for More U.S. Assistance - washingtonpost.com

Pakistani Prime Minister Calls for More U.S. Assistance

By Joshua Partlow
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, July 22, 2009; 2:59 PM

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 22 -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday called on the United States to provide real-time intelligence, unmanned aircraft technology and other military assistance to help Pakistan combat the Taliban without relying on attacks from U.S. drones.

Gilani raised the issue with Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke, the U.S. envoy to the region, who was on his fourth official visit to Pakistan, according to a statement from the prime minister's office. Pakistan has asked before for the capability to carry out its own drone strikes, and avoid the public outcry that regularly follows the attacks by U.S. aircraft.

The ongoing drone attacks in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan "have seriously impeded Pakistan's efforts towards rooting out militancy and terrorism from the area," the statement said. Pakistan has cooperated with the U.S. bombings despite its public position against them, and many Pakistani officials privately say that the attacks are helpful. Analysts doubted that the U.S. would comply with such a request.

"America has been saying this is one of those technologies that is a critical technology, and we haven't even provided it to other allies," said Talat Masood, a retired Pakistani general.

Pakistani weapons requests have been a staple of its relationship with the United States for years, but some diplomats said there is increased concern after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took steps this week to further military sales with India. The measures could provide more than 100 American fighter jets to Pakistan's neighbor and nemesis.

"What Hillary is doing there is probably again going to start an arms race," said one Pakistani diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Pakistan raised concerns with the U.S. over other regional issues during Holbrooke's visit, such as the U.S. Marine offensive in southern Afghanistan, which Pakistani officials believe could force more Taliban fighters across the border into their territory. But some downplayed this issue as a source of tension. "It's not really an irritant as such. But we do want to minimize any negative fallout in Pakistan," said Abdul Basit, a spokesman for the foreign ministry.

The greater concern among Pakistani intelligence officials and diplomats remains India. Intelligence officials said that the military cannot pull more troops off the eastern border with India, a limitation that hampers plans to expand this summer's Swat Valley offensive into the tribal region of South Waziristan. During a briefing this week, Pakistani intelligence officials accused India of blocking the rivers that run from the disputed region of Kashmir into Pakistan, intensifying military exercises along the border and training and funding insurgents in Afghanistan to fight against them.

"We cannot afford to denude our eastern border," one intelligence official said. "How can we really move forward?"

Indian officials deny those accusations, and charge that Pakistan continues to nurture Islamist extremists who have carried out spectacular attacks across South Asia in recent years, including in the Indian mega-city of Mumbai last November.

Basit, the foreign ministry spokesman, said that many in Pakistan believe there are "double standards being pursued by the U.S."

"While on the one hand, there is an appetite to help Pakistan in crushing militancy and terrorism, on the other hand there is no pressure being mounted on India to resolve the political conflict of Kashmir," he said. Despite that criticism, several Pakistani officials said they see signs of hope in the Obama administration's emphasis on long-term economic development. Holbrooke announced on Wednesday that the U.S. will distribute $165 million to various programs to assist Pakistanis displaced by the fighting in Swat.

Also on Wednesday, Pakistan's supreme court ordered former President Pervez Musharraf to appear before the court to answer questions about his decision in 2007 to oust dozens of judges, suspend the constitution and declare emergency rule. Musharraf, a retired general who now lives in London, could send a lawyer on his behalf. But the hearing has raised concerns over the potential for political volatility as the court considers criminal proceedings against Musharraf.
 
Militant strongholds in Dir taken over
By Haleem Asad
Wednesday, 22 Jul, 2009 | 05:01 AM PST |

TIMERGARA: Continuing their operation in Maidan tehsil of Lower Dir, security forces claimed on Tuesday to have killed 12 militants, including two ringleaders — Qari Hakimullah and Sher Khan.

According to official sources, troops have taken control of militants’ strongholds in Takatak, Undak, Misri Khani, Safaray and Kala Dag.

Army officers told local journalists who visited the violence-hit areas of Maidan that 80 per cent of the tehsil had been cleared of militants. More than 100 militants were killed over the past two days.

They said militants had taken positions in Takatak, Undak, Misri Khani, Sangolai, Safaray and Sher Khani.

‘We had information that militants were regrouping in these areas. An operation was conducted and the areas were cleared,’ an officer said.

He dismissed as disinformation reports that militants were still in control of some parts of Maidan.

He said displaced people of Hayaserai were returning to their homes and cooperating with security personnel.

Arms and ammunition seized from militants in Adenzai and Maidan were displayed at the army’s Dir media centre.
DAWN.COM | Provinces | Militant strongholds in Dir taken over
 
we have come such a long way from where we were standing 2 months back.
i salute my armed forces:pakistan:
 
Interview With Maj Gen Ijaz Awan. He tells about indian involvement in Part 62 at 3:00 min

Part 61



Part 62


Part 63


Part 64

 
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Rawalpindi - July 22, 2009:

1. During last 24 hours, search and clearance operations were conducted in Swat and Malakand.

2. Swat

Security forces made an announcement to return the stolen items of Paitham Hotel Gulibagh. The announcement was responded well and 10 trucks load of items mostly furniture has been returned by the locals.

Security forces conducted search operation at Malukabad and killed 2 terrorists and apprehended 1.

Security forces conducted search operation at Ningulai. During operation 6 terrorists were killed and 4 suspects were apprehended. 5 machine guns alongwith ammunition were also recovered.

Security forces carried out search operation at Qalagai Banda, destroyed 1 house, recovered 1 vehicle and apprehended 5 terrorists.
Dir. Security forces carried out search operation at Tsapparai Kandao killing 16 terrorists and also destroyed 3 Markaz cum terrorists training centers.


3. Buner.

In exchange of fire at Dewana Baba, 2 soldiers were injured. One vehicle of terrorists loaded with weapons and ammunition was destroyed. 3 terrorists were also killed in the process.

4. Relief Activities.

206,118 cash cards have been distributed amongst the IDPs of Malakand.

---

KIT Over n Out :victory::pakistan::sniper::guns:
 
I hate this duniya television, it was the same channel who broadcast the interview of the captured SSG commandos who were later executed by the zaliman. That guy who took the interview, i am waiting for the day he comes in front of me, 2 outcomes, one i will kill him or else will give him such a beating either he remembers and never does such an idiotic interview compromising the identity of the SSG operators.
 
$165m additional US aid announced for IDPs

* Holbrooke says US, Pakistan and India should jointly face terrorism

By Sajid Chaudhry and Sajjad Malik

ISLAMABAD: The United States on Wednesday announced $165 million additional aid for humanitarian relief, early recovery and long-term reconstruction efforts for internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Swat and neighbouring districts.

At a joint press conference with Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Hina Rabbani Khar, US special envoy Richard Holbrooke hoped the pledged funds would help meet the changing needs of the displaced families in the country.

US assistant secretary Eric Schwartz, who was also present, explained the utilisation of funds and said $45 million would be used to support the locally-driven rehabilitation of basic infrastructure, including the water system, health facilities, schools and roads.

He said $30 million would be utilised for the development of small-scale infrastructure and community development grants for the IDPs in NWFP, adding that $25 million would be used to give the IDPs resources needed to rebuild houses. This would be facilitated through community-driven, quick-impact cash-for-work programmes. This also includes programmes for rebuilding public buildings to facilitate the return of civil servants.

He said $23 million would be contributed to the UNHCR for humanitarian relief and $20 million for rebuilding education infrastructure across Dir, Swat, and Buner. $12 million will be contributed to the ICRC for its operations, especially for those who need to trace their family members, he said, adding that $10 million would be used for immediate livelihood and agriculture programmes for the IDPs.

Terrorism: The US special envoy also proposed trilateral cooperation between the US, Pakistan and India to fight terrorism. Holbrooke said cooperation in the war on terror did not mean undoing the historical background of the Pak-India tension, but coming together as “US, Pakistan and India face a common enemy and task”.

“In the western part of this country [Pakistan], there are people who attack the US, Pakistan and India, who killed Benazir Bhutto and who say they would continue doing so,” Holbrooke.

He said the Taliban moved freely across the Pak-Afghan border, saying that Taliban on the Pakistani side were different from those on the other side, but the two sides still cooperated with each other.

Holbrooke expressed full US support for Pakistan, saying President Barack Obama’s administration was committed to support Pakistan and its people during “this complicated time”.

“We are using every resource available with the support of the congress to help Pakistan,” he said. Holbrook said the Kerry-Lugar Bill would ensure $1.5 billion annual assistance for Pakistan over the next five years, adding that the US had pledged $330 million for the people displaced from Swat and announced an additional $165 million for rehabilitation of those people.

The special envoy said the US completely supported the country’s democratic government. “US support democracy in Pakistan without reservations, Pakistan deserves it, though it [democracy] may be mess at times,” he said.

Holbrooke said Pakistan had moved forward and its situation was much better than a few months ago. He also appreciated the recent meeting between Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari for promoting political reconciliation.

...the continue to give, we continue to take, and we continue to criticise!
 
Holbrooke calls on Kayani, Pasha

RAWALPINDI: US Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke on Wednesday called on Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani at the General Headquarters and discussed various defence matters with him. Sources said General Kayani briefed the US official about the recent success against the Taliban in Swat and the neighbouring districts during the two-month-long operation. The two also discussed the situation in the Tribal Areas and the planned operation against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud, who controls vast areas of South Waziristan. The US special envoy also met ISI chief Lt General Ahmed Shuja Pasha. Sources said the two discussed a host of issues pertaining to the war against terrorism, Online reported.

sajjad malik/online
 
Army kills 33 Taliban in Malakand, S Waziristan

Staff Report

RAWALPINDI/Khar/ MIRANSHAH: Troops killed at least 27 Taliban in various districts of Malakand division over “the last 24 hours”, said the ISPR in the latest update of the military offensive in the region, after fighter jets reportedly destroyed two Taliban hideouts in South Waziristan, killing six men believed to be associates of Baitullah Mehsud.

The ISPR said troops had also arrested several Taliban and destroyed a number of their hideouts. In South Waziristan, the AP news agency said the airstrikes flattened hideouts of Baitullah’s associates in two villages late on Tuesday.

Separately in North Waziristan, Taliban fired two mortar shells at an army camp in Khar, killing a security forces personnel and seriously wounding five others. The injured were flown to hospital in Peshawar, where one of them is said to be in critical condition.

In Bajaur Agency, a jirga of elders and clerics from Alizai tribes handed over six Taliban commanders wanted by the government to the political administration. The jirga also announced full support for the government against the Taliban.
 
Kalashnikov demand soars with violence in NWFP

* Arms dealer says demand for AK-47 went up due to Talibanisation
* Residents arm themselves for protection from Taliban

PESHAWAR: The price of a Kalashnikov assault rifle is soaring as militant groups and private militias mushroom in the increasingly battle-torn northern areas of the country, arms dealers and buyers have said.

Civilians too, frightened by the upsurge in violence and citing a lack of government protection, are also forking out to arm themselves with a weapon that has come to symbolise violent struggle the world over.

Easy to use, hard to jam and the preferred killing machine of guerrillas, security forces and terror merchants, the humble Kalashnikov has never been more highly prized in the conflict-hit regions of Pakistan.

As a result, in Peshawar, and Darra Adam Khel, outside government control in the tribal belt on the Afghan border, prices have jumped as much as five times in a year, to up to$1,500 (Rs 125,000).

“You see there is war in the Tribal Areas. The Taliban need this weapon and tribesmen need this weapon against Taliban,” said Habib Khan, a Peshawar arms dealer.

The military is currently engaged in a major offensive in the northwest against the Taliban amid fears in Islamabad and Washington that the Taliban were gaining increasing influence and ground in the country.

At Darra Adam Khel, home to one of the biggest private arms’ markets in Asia, prices vary according to quality: German-made was most expensive, local produce cheapest.

“There was a time when a Chinese-made Kalashnikov was available for 25,000 to 35,000 rupees. Now the price has risen to 100,000 rupees,” Qalandar Shah said in his arms shop in Darra Adam Khel.

Root cause: “The main reason, in my opinion, is the war-like situation. Secondly, the gap between supply and demand widened because of the Talibanisation,” he said.

“If the situation carries on like this, demand for this weapon will rise and prices will go up more and more,” Shah added.

Going proactive: Residents have also armed themselves, either to fight in tribal militias against Taliban or to protect their properties and families.

“Although it’s costly, I bought it. It’s a must to keep a weapon at home and a Kalashnikov is the best choice for me. No one will want to attack you,” said Kabir Khan, a customer at one shop in Peshawar.

“I know it’s illegal to keep a Kalashnikov without a permit, but what’s legal in this country? The government has failed to provide us security,” he added.

afp
 

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