Relatives question Pakistan army on militant killings

[shining eyes]

Relatives question Pakistan army on militant killings
Relatives of 23 suspected militants killed by Pakistani forces in the north-west on Tuesday said they were in custody at the time of their death.

Elders in Dir district said most of the suspects were handed over to the armed forces by local village councils.

The military said the men were killed in a shoot-out during a search operation in the Maidan area of Dir.

The killings came a day after four suicide bombers attacked a military camp in Timergara town.

One soldier was killed in the attack.

The Pakistani military has been often accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings of Taliban suspects to avenge militant attacks on military targets.

The military denies this charge.

The army launched an operation in Swat, Dir and some neighbouring areas last summer, forcing more than two million people to flee the region.

Months later, the areas were declared "clear" and the refugees started to return to their homes.

But sporadic attacks by suspected Taliban militants have continued.

'In detention'

On Tuesday, the military in Dir notified the families of 23 suspects that they needed to collect their bodies from a local hospital.
Map

They said that the men had been killed in a search operation.

"The clashes took place in Kalpani and Upper Maidan areas," said Brigadier Nadim Mirza, the top commander of operations in Maidan.

But relatives told the BBC that nearly all the slain suspects had been in detention at the main paramilitary base in Timergara.

"Most of them were school boys. Some got inspired by the Taliban and joined their training camps in Swat but were weaned away by their parents before they could get into real fighting," Saeed Gul, a local elder and former parliamentarian told the BBC.

"Others were either close relatives of known militants, or had given shelter to militants at some time out of fear or favour."

One of the men who was killed had stopped attending a Taliban training camp in Swat due because of severe epilepsy, according to a Maidan resident who knew the family well.

Another victim was allegedly arrested by the security forces on 9 November last year - and news of it was conveyed by a Dir-based military spokesman to the media on the same day.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10556707.stm

 

[Javed3]

Custodial killings and atrocities are the norm in Swat and Dir. These 23 are added to the estimated 400 corpses discovered.

I personally know a 74 years old man from Bajaur who was killed while in custody 2 months after arrest. His Janaza was attended by about 50,000 people.

Decline and leadership quality and corruption have sapped our national institutions of professionalism.

 

[Patriot]

If they were indeed militants then i am happy camper now but anyway i am calling this bs.

 

[Javed3]

Militants are created everyday, fresh out of the oven. The bakery is the Army Operations on your own soil against your own citizens.

 

[Areesh]

Militants are created everyday, fresh out of the oven. The bakery is the Army Operations on your own soil against your own citizens.

So for what purpose these militants were doing the so called "Jihad". American occupation of Afghanistan or Destablization of Pakistan.

Make your choice.

 

[Javed3]

Militants or Taliban are not waging any kind of Jihad in Pakistan. They are not a positive force at all. They are fueled by reaction to the atrocious, ill conceived and thoughtless operations in FATA. The FATA people are aware that these operations have been launched under American pressure and are being funded by them; and that conferred a degree of legitimacy to the Militants in the eyes of people of these areas.

The real Jihad is being waged in Afghanistan, and is supported by the Militants and the people for religious and cultural reasons. Our national asset Pak Army has been hired to relieve pressure on Afghanistan, and is a bit too Jazbati about the new found role as an Ally (sort of).

In my opinion the Army should keep the Americans happy with the semblance of operations, but at least charge the right money for it; e.g. 20% of the total outlay on the Afghan operation. In reality we are not getting even 1%.

Once you kill people, destroy lives and property; you should have a generous compensation and infrastructure package .. so the people of FATA can turn a new page in their lives.

 

[iPhone]

Militants are created everyday, fresh out of the oven. The bakery is the Army Operations on your own soil against your own citizens.

your logic is flawed. If that's the case and military operation is giving birth to militants then how come militant's indiscriminate action or reaction in Pakistan isn't giving birth to suicide bombers against the militants? these militants have killed thousands of innocent Pakistanis across Pakistan, why is it that their relatives haven't picked up arms against the militants?

You know the truth but you dont want to accept it or perhaps you have made it your mission to confuse people and public, just like the militants and their other sympathizers are doing. Truth is that these guys are pure evil, professional terrorists, rotten through to their core.

If they had become what they are today as result of drone attacks or PA's operation, they would technically be less lethal as PA's real opp. started against them just a little over a year ago, what kind of training camp or a base could they build in a such a short time? what kind of training would they have given to their minions?

it turned out during the phase of the operation, when PA took over their areas, that they had dug tunnels, miles long, through the mountains. Years and upon years, even decades of training and prep was discovered, long, long before any kind of operation against them, from the US or Pakistan, and you are saying they are militants because of an action against them, you think we are fuckin' stupid that we dont see what is going on?

and one last thing, if they really had turned against Pakistan as result of loosing their innocent loved one in PA's operation they would have showed a little bit of honor and some ethics before they selected a target and not acted like total mad dogs out to get anything.