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Pakistan army regains control of Swat valley, 220 militants killed
Islamabad - Pakistan's military claimed Wednesday that it had regained control over the restive Swat valley, saying that up to 220 pro-Taliban militants had been killed since capturing large swaths of territory in the region in late October.
'The militants have vacated the Swat area and are now running away towards the western mountains,' chief Army spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad said. 'Since military operations started in late October, the military has killed between 215 and 220 militants.'
The offensive began when the government sent additional troops to the scenic valley, only four hours drive from the capital Islamabad, to rein in around 5,000 armed followers of radical Muslim cleric Maulana Fazlullah, who is fighting to impose strict Islamic law.
Fazlullah's armed followers had captured dozens of villages and at least three main towns in Swat, including a police station in Matta, renaming it the 'Taliban Police Station.'
The government of President Pervez Musharraf grew alarmed at the rebels' gains, at the same time it was beset by a political crisis that saw him decree a state of emergency on November 3.
The army used helicopter gunships and artillery to pound rebels positions in the mountains for a month, and used its ground troops in the second phase of the operation, which began last weekend. More than 50 militants were killed in the past four days, the army said.
The firebrand cleric had also urged the local population to carry out suicide attacks against security forces while speaking on a pirate local radio station, which was shut down on Tuesday when government troops seized his headquarters.
Some Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters who fled to the region after US-led forces invaded neighbouring Afghanistan in 2001 were also believed to be aiding Fazlullah's militia.
Army spokesman Arshad said operations of the army and paramilitary units would continue until the rebels were completely flushed out of the area.
He declined to give government casualty figures, but some unconfirmed reports said several dozen troops had died in recent combat.
Pakistan puts Army boots on the ground in Swat
Even as he remains publicly embroiled with the secular opposition, Pakistan's Gen. Pervez Musharraf's real war with militants is heating up and far from public view. The outcome is pivotal to Pakistan's longer struggle with militancy.
This week, Pakistan's Army sent 15,000 ground troops into Swat, a scenic valley in the North West Frontier Province. Although a settled area barely 100 miles from the urbane capital, Islamabad, Swat is the stronghold of a Taliban-like extremist group boasting about 5,000 fighters.
At least 15 militants were reported killed since troops landed on Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse:
"The militants suffered heavy losses and their casualties were numerous," [local government spokesman Amjad] Iqbal said as government forces tried to dislodge the militants from bases in the district of Kabal and the nearby Shangla hills.
He said two rebel commanders loyal to hardline cleric Maulana Fazlullah -- who wants to introduce Islamic Sharia law in the region and preaches holy war against the government -- were killed.
Fighting in Swat has been escalating for weeks. But the skirmishes have ended in humiliating defeats for the Army, mostly because 3,000 paramilitaries rather than actual soldiers were sent to do the fighting. Many have surrendered without putting up a fight or have been captured and publicly executed.
As the Financial Times highlighted in early November, those defeats exposed a troubled spot in Pakistan's war on terrorism:
Western diplomats say the military setbacks illustrate how Gen Musharraf's protracted struggle to hold on to power is proving a costly distraction from the fight against pro-Taliban insurgents. "It has been very difficult to get his attention for quite some time," says one.
Moreover, the pattern of mass surrenders is a worrying indication of a serious malaise in a US-funded fighting force that is of critical importance to the west's ability to prosecute the war in Afghanistan. While the 92,000 Pakistani troops deployed along the Afghan border may not be mutinous, their will to fight against fellow-Muslims in the tribal areas, and now also in much of northern Pakistan, is ever more in question.
This week may mark a turning point. It is the first time that bona fide Army boots have been put on the ground. The move was quickly welcomed in editorials.
The Daily Times, an English-language daily in Pakistan, seemed to suggest that it was high time for such action:
Finally the army has begun its ground offensive in Swat after days of sniping at the Al Qaeda militants from its helicopter gunships, killing 35 on the first day.
This is a change from the humiliating reversals which the militants inflicted on the paramilitary personnel earlier on
The News, another influential English-language daily, called on the government to exhibit a policy of greater resolve:
t is necessary to show that the state is determined to enforce its writ. This can be done by closing down the illegal radio stations that fuel passions and hatred, refusing to reach deals with militants and, at the same time, drawing ordinary people into the battle against extremists by offering them the benefits that a benevolent, caring state must be able to provide.
Washington is closely watching the developments as well, according to the Los Angeles Times.
U.S. officials are closely monitoring the situation in the northwestern district of Swat, a picturesque former princely state. Islamic militants, employing tactics used in the tribal borderlands, have overrun villages here, beheading security personnel and imposing their own harsh brand of Islamic law.
Western military observers consider the confrontation a pivotal one, possibly presaging a much wider push by Pakistani and foreign militants out of the largely lawless tribal belt along the Afghanistan border and into so-called settled areas, where Pakistan's federal government is supposed to have authority.
Bloggers on Pakistan welcomed the troop deployment, but wondered about its timing.
Munaeem, a Canadian blogger of Pakistani origin who follows Pakistani affairs, writes:
[T]he question is why the government did not take action when [Fazlullah] started his criminal activities. They should also shake up the local administration. According to reports, they are corrupt and tyrant. Their tyranny and corruption have made Maulana Fazlullah popular.
Aadil, commenting on another blog about Pakistani affairs, sees a sinister connection between this week's operation and Musharraf's reelection bid:
To many, it is a conscious effort on part of the regime to make the situation worse at a point of time when general elections are just around the corner. It could be a ploy to postpone the general elections and buy some more time for political manouvering [sic] on part of Mr. Musharraf plus it could be a signal to the US of America that the war is on and that he still could play an important role in their so called war against terror.
The Daily Times warned:
The Pakistan army, as it operates in Swat, must recognise that the present operation is just the opening of a larger battlefront.
Pakistan puts Army boots on the ground in Swat | csmonitor.com
Official: Over 200 militants killed in NW Pakistan_English_Xinhua
Official: Over 200 militants killed in NW Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Over 200 militants have been killed through security forces operations since the start of operation in northwestern Pakistan's Swat valley, Interior Ministry Spokesman Brig Javed Iqbal Cheema said on Tuesday.
Addressing a weekly news briefing here, Cheema said he hoped the situation in Swat would return to normal before the elections.
Cheema said the operation to neutralize hardcore militants in Swat valley was progressing very well and had secured areas of Kanju, Kuza Bande, Bara Bande and Mam Dheri.
The security forces were consolidating their positions and people of the area were wholeheartedly cooperating with the government in its efforts to eliminate terrorists.
Around 2,500 security forces soldiers were sent to Swat valley on Oct. 24 to stop illegal activities of militants.
Here's a journalists account of what's going on in Swat! I have some wonderful memories of Swat. Can't imagine it to be anything like this! The Pathans of Swat were some of the more liberal ones in the frontier province.
Exclusive: Inside Pakistan's Swat Valley
Pakistan's Swat Valley is 150 grueling miles, and a world away from Islamabad.
We left early this morning, and it is lucky we did. It took more than five hours to make the trip through treacherous mountain passes paved only in gravel, and small villages where covering my face and hair was imperative.
We were in the heart of Taliban country, but this wasn't Afghanistan -- it was Pakistan.
I started reading about the Swat Valley on my way over to Pakistan early last week. I knew that it was a former tourist spot surrounded by a staggering wall of mountains. The mountains are still spectacular, but the tourists are nowhere to be found. I also knew that it was now considered too dangerous for foreigners, especially Westerners, which is why we did our best not to look that way.
When I met our guide this morning he had left his polo shirts and khaki pants home. He, the cameraman, and British producer Bruno Roeber were all dressed in native garb. Despite Bruno's bright blue eyes, the men blended in fairly well.
Our guide told me to bring a large black or white scarf and to wear it over my head. Half way up the mountain he could see I wasn't very good at handling a head scarf, and he pulled over to show me how. It must drape your shoulders as well.
As we got closer to Swat and were passing through a village, I peered out the window and our guide calmly said, "Look straight ahead, don't let them see your face."
But the streets were so swarmed with people that it was difficult not to be noticed.
And then we hit the traffic jam -- an unimaginable traffic jam. On a high mountain pass we came to a dead stop because they were doing some blasting up ahead. We were surrounded by huge, brightly colored trucks filled with cattle, rice, hay and people. Drivers were squeezing in between the cars. Our guide told me to stay in the car, make sure my hair was covered and not look around. Finally, after an hour we began moving again.
People in the region are terrified. Of the more than 1.5 million people here, more than 200,000 have fled. We saw long lines of vehicles with families and their belongings packed on top, evacuating Swat Valley today.
Girls schools have been closed and ransacked, bombers have staged attacks and businesses have been shuttered. Many people say their businesses are completely ruined.
And followers of a radical Islamic cleric, Maulana Fazlullah, have had no trouble scaring away or slaughtering the few Pakistan government forces have been sent to the area. A dozen were publicly beheaded in recent weeks, and dozens more were taken hostage. They were later released but only after the government freed dozens of insurgents in exchange.
Getting out of the car to do standups was tricky. We did not want to stay in one place too long, or we would attract attention and word would spread that foreigners were in town. In fact, the place I wanted to do a standup was off limits.
"They are looking to take an American hostage over on that side of the river," our local cameraman said. "You should not go there."
So we stayed in the area he told us to. I shot several on-camera pieces, including one right across the river from Taliban headquarters. We attracted huge crowds, and as soon as we did we hopped back in the car.
People we talked to in the small area of Swat that has not yet fallen to the Taliban blame one man for the problems here -- Musharraf. There is talk that President Musharraf may soon mount a major operation here to show that his emergency declaration is intended to battle terrorists, but most people here want to know why he hasn't acted sooner.
I talked to a few people on the streets, but our time was limited. It was getting dark and it was a long way home.
I implore the government to free Pakistani territory! The liberation of Swat should have the highest priority in the government's to do list.
