The Battle for Bajaur - PA seizes control

[air marshal]

20 hideouts of militants destroyed in Damadola operation: FC

PESHAWAR Feb.09 (APP): Security forces destroyed 20 hideouts of the terrorists and apprehended six suspects while conducting search and clearance operation in stronghold of Taliban at Damadola and Baida areas of Bajaur agency, FC Spokesman said here Tuesday.

The forces also recovered large cache of arms, ammunition and equipment from the hideouts.

In Mohmand agency, the security Forces conducted search operation in Bian Khel and Qayum Abad and destroyed 2 compounds of the terrorists.

Meanwhile the grand of Jirga of Halimzai tribe held at Ghallanai, assured all kind of support to Law Enforcement Agencies in their area.

In Khyber Agency terrorists fired with rockets and small arms on security forces at Landikotal resultantly one innocent civilian embraced Shahdat while three others were injured. Security Forces retaliated aggressively.

During search operation in Shin Darang area of Tehsil Bara, the forces apprehended four suspect terrorists.

In District Dir, two suspects terrorists have been apprehended from Lal Qilla with the help of Locals of the area, the spokesman concluded.

 

[fatman17]

Surrender or face action, Bajaur militants told



Friday, February 12, 2010
Our correspondent

KHAR: The political administration and security forces here Thursday gave a 10-day deadline to the militants in Bajaur Agency to lay down arms and surrender to the government or else face tough military action.

Addressing a grand jirga of the elders of Mamond tribe in Bar Killay, Mamond subdivision Assistant Political Agent Muhammad Jamil Khan and Lt Col Salim Khan said that tough action would be taken against militants, who refused to surrender to the security forces unconditionally.

The officials said the insurgents must lay down weapons, give up militancy and surrender to the government as otherwise they would face the consequences. They lauded the role of tribesmen for their unflinching support to the security forces and political administration in the ongoing operation against militants and miscreants. They said the government was making efforts to bring peace to the troubled Bajaur tribal region, but the tribesmen also must have to play their vital role to purge the area of militants.

Elders of Mamond tribe including Malik Ayaz, Malik Sultan Zaib, Malik Manjhar, Malik Waris, Malik Mehmood and others also spoke on the occasion. They assured the political administration and security forces of their full support and vowed that nobody would be allowed to sabotage the peace process by carrying out anti-government and anti-state activities in the area.

They said that village-based peace committees would be constituted and lashkar would be raised to ensure peace and harmony in their respective areas. On the occasion, two militant commanders named Hijran and Shahmot along with their associates surrendered to the authorities.

 

[Javed3]

“”24 Dec 2008 : Maj Gen Tarik Khan
Maj Gen Khan's troops have been involved in fierce battles

"No permission is required - just open fire on anything that moves," came the order from Maj Gen Tarik Khan, commander of Pakistan's Frontier Corps. We were sheltering in a traditional mud-walled compound in in the tribal area of Bajaur on the border with Afghanistan.””

By early 2009 Bajaur had been captured and brought under “control”.

Then why are such heavy operations are going on in Bajaur in Feb 2010 ?

 

[TaimiKhan]

“”24 Dec 2008 : Maj Gen Tarik Khan
Maj Gen Khan's troops have been involved in fierce battles

"No permission is required - just open fire on anything that moves," came the order from Maj Gen Tarik Khan, commander of Pakistan's Frontier Corps. We were sheltering in a traditional mud-walled compound in in the tribal area of Bajaur on the border with Afghanistan.””

By early 2009 Bajaur had been captured and brought under “control”.

Then why are such heavy operations are going on in Bajaur in Feb 2010 ?

Are you totally blind or what ??? Haven't you read the reasons in the news for the uprising of militant activity again there.

 

[nightrider_saulat]

Are you totally blind or what ??? Haven't you read the reasons in the news for the uprising of militant activity again there.

i think you should explain those reason once again for this guy

 

[TaimiKhan]

i think you should explain those reason once again for this guy

Wastage of time to make understand some who wish to keep their eyes shut.

 

[nightrider_saulat]

Wastage of time to make understand some who wish to keep their eyes shut.

you are right sir!

 

[fatman17]

Army hoists Pak flag in Damangi

* Security forces arrest 154 suspected terrorists during search operation in Bajaur, Jamrud
* 20 Taliban surrender in Bajaur

Staff Report

KHAR/JAMRUD: Security forces hoisted the national flag in the Damangi area for the first time after clearing it of the Taliban on Sunday.

The security forces and the political administration, in a joint search operation, arrested 80 suspected Taliban, while 20 Taliban including a key commander surrendered in the Bajaur Agency, officials said.

Political administration officials told Daily Times that about 20 terrorists, including a key Taliban commander Salar Masood of the Mamond tehsil of Bajaur Agency, had surrendered to the security forces.

The officials said the 80 suspected Taliban were arrested during the ongoing crackdown on Khar and Salarzai tehsils of Bajaur Agency.

Separately, security forces have also arrested at least 74 suspects during a search operation in the Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency on Sunday.

Sources told Daily Times the operation was conducted in Wazir Dhand area in the Jamrud Tehsil of the Khyber Agency and 74 suspects were arrested during the search operation, out of which 53 are said to be Afghan nationals.

In another incident, two suspects identified as Amir alias Noor and Riaz were apprehended by the law enforcement agencies on the charges of blowing up a government girls’ high school at Badrashi village in Nowshera Cantt.

Also, five people, including two foreign women, were taken into custody on Sunday for alleged links with terrorist groups.

However, a joint team of law enforcement agencies, after an interrogation, freed both women, who were confirmed to be Yemeni nationals, on personal guarantees.

 

[nightrider_saulat]

Army hoists Pak flag in Damangi

* Security forces arrest 154 suspected terrorists during search operation in Bajaur, Jamrud
* 20 Taliban surrender in Bajaur

Staff Report

KHAR/JAMRUD: Security forces hoisted the national flag in the Damangi area for the first time after clearing it of the Taliban on Sunday.

The security forces and the political administration, in a joint search operation, arrested 80 suspected Taliban, while 20 Taliban including a key commander surrendered in the Bajaur Agency, officials said.

Political administration officials told Daily Times that about 20 terrorists, including a key Taliban commander Salar Masood of the Mamond tehsil of Bajaur Agency, had surrendered to the security forces.

The officials said the 80 suspected Taliban were arrested during the ongoing crackdown on Khar and Salarzai tehsils of Bajaur Agency.

Separately, security forces have also arrested at least 74 suspects during a search operation in the Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency on Sunday.

Sources told Daily Times the operation was conducted in Wazir Dhand area in the Jamrud Tehsil of the Khyber Agency and 74 suspects were arrested during the search operation, out of which 53 are said to be Afghan nationals.

In another incident, two suspects identified as Amir alias Noor and Riaz were apprehended by the law enforcement agencies on the charges of blowing up a government girls’ high school at Badrashi village in Nowshera Cantt.

Also, five people, including two foreign women, were taken into custody on Sunday for alleged links with terrorist groups.

However, a joint team of law enforcement agencies, after an interrogation, freed both women, who were confirmed to be Yemeni nationals, on personal guarantees.

that's a big gain for us in this area

 

[fatman17]

One more tragedy in Bajaur

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Rahimullah Yusufzai

Pakistan has suffered many tragedies since military ruler General Pervez Musharraf’s fateful decision to become an ally of the US in the so-called war on terror and there is nothing to suggest that our sufferings are coming to an end. Every tragedy is a story waiting to be told as scores of families have experienced pain and misery following bomb explosions, suicide bombings, air strikes, misdirected rocket and artillery attacks and US drone strikes.

One such tragedy occurred on February 15 in Gang village in Bajaur Agency’s Salarzai tehsil. The 80-year-old mother of Sahibzada Haroon Rasheed, a Jamaat-i-Islami leader and former member of the National Assembly from Bajaur, and his 20-year-old niece were killed when their house collapsed as a result of a powerful explosion triggered by the security forces while destroying the family’s hujra, or male guesthouse. The hujra was being demolished by the troops to punish the family for its alleged links with the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

The demolition of homes of militants and those suspected of supporting and harbouring them has become a standard policy of the government not only in the tribal areas but also in settled districts such as Swat. There has been no debate on this important issue and it is unclear how many houses have been destroyed to date in the NWFP and FATA and whether this is the correct approach to tackling extremism and terrorism. In fact, army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had once taken the decision to stop this practice that punished the whole family for the crime of a single member involved in militancy and damaged more houses than intended, but the demolition of homes has continued with a greater vigour than before.

According to Major General Tariq Khan, the Inspector General Frontier Corps (IGFC) who is leading the military operation in Bajaur, there were ample reasons to take action against Haroon Rasheed’s family due to its ties to anti-state elements and patronisation of Talibanisation in Bajaur. He told this writer that Rasheed’s 27-year-old nephew, Asadullah, had been in the custody of the security forces since May 2009 for harbouring Taliban fighters and facilitating their activities in Bajaur. However, he insisted that the security forces didn’t intend to kill his mother, niece or any other family member. He didn’t rule out the possibility that the house fell due to the impact of the explosion caused by the troops while demolishing the adjoining hujra. However, he hastened to add that the collapsed house was old and in a dilapidated condition due to heavy rains and snowfall.

It had been snowing around noon on February 15 when army and FC troops arrived in Gang village, located about three kilometres from Bajaur’s principal town and headquarters, Khar. According to Rasheed, the troops accompanied by some US soldiers came in 15 military vehicles and armoured personnel carriers, searched several houses in the village and found nothing objectionable and then planted 72 kilograms of explosives to blow up his hujra. He explained that the hujra was sited in the middle of a compound containing his house and those of his three brothers and it was obvious that the adjoining houses would be damaged if the guesthouse was dynamited. He said he had shifted his family to Peshawar while his brothers and their families were all living in their homes in Gang. He alleged that the troops didn’t give sufficient time to his family members, including his old mother, and women and children to shift to a safer place despite requests by villagers and caused a huge explosion with a remote-control device while leaving the village.

The hujra was razed to the ground but the blast also brought down the verandah of the adjacent house, burying Rasheed’s mother and niece under the debris. Another woman, the wife of Rasheed’s relative, Salim, and her three-year-old son were injured and brought to Peshawar’s ICRC Hospital. The villagers later pulled out the two bodies and performed the burial rites in pouring rain and heavy snowfall in Rasheed’s absence. The former lawmaker has been unable to return to Bajaur due to a curfew and insecurity and is receiving well-wishers offering condolences to him at the Peshawar headquarters of the Jamaat-i-Islami.

This indeed is a tragedy as two innocent women lost their lives in an incident that could have been avoided. There are two widely divergent versions of the circumstances that led to the tragedy and prompted the Jamaat-i-Islami to call for countrywide protests. It is true that the security forces are operating in a difficult and dangerous situation, particularly in Bajaur where the military action started 18 months ago and has now entered a new phase with the advance of the troops into the Taliban strongholds of Mamond and Charmang. The troops have offered sacrifices in the battle against the militants and have made gains at a considerable cost. IGFC Major General Tariq Khan has been leading his men from the front, succeeding in raising the morale of his soldiers, many of whom deserted the FC and gave up the fight following ferocious attacks by militants during 2004-2009.

However, the occurrence of Bajaur-like tragedies, the accusations of human rights violations and extrajudicial killings against the security forces and the growing presence of US soldiers and spies in the area would continue to fuel the conflict and negate efforts to make Pakistan peaceful and stable. The lack of credible information about the situation in the conflict areas and the unawareness of most Pakistanis of the human suffering in places like Bajaur and Waziristan have prevented this tragedy from becoming public knowledge.

It is, therefore, necessary to probe the circumstances in which the mother and the niece of Jamaat-i-Islami’s provincial deputy head Haroon Rasheed were killed. Rasheed has challenged the government and the security forces to provide evidence of his family’s involvement in anti-state activities. Four members of his family, including his brother Muhammad Rasheed and his nephews Asadullah, Saeedullah and Khalid, are in the custody of the security forces and all stand accused of having links with the Taliban. The FC authorities even alleged that Rasheed’s hujra was frequented by foreign militants and served as a centre for the Taliban. These are serious allegations and should be backed up by evidence to make them credible.

In his defence, Rasheed explained that his house and hujra were located on the roadside and approachable by paved roads from three sides, including the one from Khar town. Besides, he pointed out that the famous Baba Picket built on a hill and manned by FC soldiers overlooked his house and was within the range of a Kalashnikov rifle. He maintained that it was impossible for foreign or even local militants to seek refuge or use his house and hujra as a hideout because it was visible from the Baba Picket.

Rasheed, articulate and determined, also raised fundamental issues with regard to the ongoing military operations in FATA and the rest of the NWFP. He claimed that more than 90 per cent of the 7,000 people killed in the military action in the region since 2004 were civilians. In his native Bajaur, he contended that 99 per cent of the 3,000 tribespeople who lost their lives in the military operation were women and children and, therefore, innocent. Rasheed is ready to face punishment if his family is found involved in anti-state activities but he also wants those making accusations against him and his relations to be made accountable if they are proved wrong. Moreover, he wants a judicial probe into the civilian deaths in the military action and the US drone strikes in the Frontier. He is seeking an independent probe by judges, political leaders, the media and human rights activists into the so-called "collateral damage" resulting from the military operations and is willing to defend his viewpoint on all forums. On his part, he believes his hujra was demolished and his mother and niece were killed to punish him for consistently opposing since 2004 the military action in the NWFP and FATA. He considers it as an act of revenge, a claim that the security forces and the government would never accept.

Is there someone in the government and the military to accept Rasheed’s challenge?



The writer is resident editor of The News in Peshawar. Email: rahim yusufzai ***********

 

[fatman17]

43 surrender in Bajaur



16 Mandal tribesmen arrested as more demanded from tribe

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Our correspondent

KHAR: Forty-three militants including four commanders surrendered to the security forces in Mamond subdivision of Bajaur Agency, while in another advancement the political administration arrested 16 tribesmen of Mandal tribe and set a three-day deadline for the tribal elders to hand over militants and miscreants or face the consequences, official sources told The News on Monday.

The sources said that four militants along with their 39 accomplices handed their weapons to the security forces and renounced militancy and violence during a jirga held in Mamond.

They pledged to support political administration and the security forces in their endeavors for bringing peace to the militancy-infested Bajaur tribal region. The sources said the security forces also pounded suspected hideouts of militants in Babara, Hashim and Charmang areas in Nawagai subdivision with artillery and mortar guns. However, there was no word on loss of life or damage to the property.

The security forces also set the house of a militant on fire and defused a roadside bomb during search operation in Nawagai Khas.Meanwhile, addressing a jirga of Mandal elders here Monday, Assistant Political Agent Iqbal Khattak urged the tribesmen to cooperate with the government in purging the area of militants. The tribal elders said another jirga would be convened on February 25 in which the militants would be handed over to the administration. On the other hand, the political administration arrested 16 tribesmen under the collective responsibility clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulation and sent them to Khar prison.

 

[Spring Onion]

Army seizes control of Bajaur

DAMADOLA: Pakistan's army has seized control of a key Taliban and Al-Qaeda stronghold in a region bordering Afghanistan after killing 75 local and foreign militants, a top general said Tuesday.


“The first Pakistan army uniformed soldiers have arrived in Damadola after a recent operation and the Pakistan flag has been raised (there) for the first time since (independence in) 1947,” Major General Tariq Khan told journalists.

Damadola, in the district of Bajaur near the Afghan border, was the scene of the 2006 US drone strike that targeted Al-Qaeda number two Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who managed to escape.

Khan accompanied a group of journalists, taken to Bajaur by the military, to a complex of caves which he said served as a militant headquarters.

Troops overran the complex in an operation launched in January, he said.

“There were Egyptians, Uzbeks, Chechens and Afghans killed in the operation,” he said.

Pakistan is under huge US pressure to eliminate Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked groups which use its semi-autonomous tribal belt to plot attacks against Western troops fighting in Afghanistan.


DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Army seizes control of Bajaur

 

[SparklingCrescent]

DAMADOLA: Pakistan's army said Tuesday it had captured a key Taliban and Al-Qaeda complex dug into rocky mountains close to the Afghan border after killing 75 local and foreign militants.

Commanders gave journalists a guided tour of the bastion, which one general said numbered 156 caves developed over five to seven years, and carved into sheer rock within clear view of the snow-capped peaks in eastern Afghanistan.

The visit follows Pakistan's latest offensive against militants in its semi-autonomous tribal badlands, launched under US pressure to eliminate Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked groups who attack Western troops in Afghanistan.

Major General Tariq Khan accompanied journalists to the warren of caves in the area of Damadola that he said served as a key militant headquarters until troops overran the complex in an offensive launched in January.

“There were Egyptians, Uzbeks, Chechens and Afghans killed in the operation,” he told reporters.

Journalists saw bedding such as pillows and mattresses, which suggested inhabitants had camped out for significant periods.

“The first Pakistan army uniformed soldiers have arrived in Damadola after a recent operation and the Pakistan flag has been raised for the first time since (independence in) 1947,” said Khan.

Damadola, in the Bajaur tribal region, was the scene of a 2006 US drone strike that targeted Al-Qaeda number two Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who managed to escape.

A highly secretive US drone war targeting top-tier Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders in the tribal belt has killed more than 800 people since August 2008, a key weapon in the US-led war to defeat Al-Qaeda and win the war in Afghanistan.

Khan described Damadola as strategically important, linked to Afghanistan, Pakistan's northern district of Chitral, the main highway to China and to northwestern valley Swat, which has been troubled by Taliban insurgency.

“Al-Qaeda was there. They had occupied the ridges. There were 156 caves designed as a defensive complex,” Khan told reporters.

The commander likened the area in 2008 to an independent state run by an Afghan warrior he identified as Qazi Ziaur Rehman, who was in charge of administration and collected tithes from local people.

Maulavi Faqir Mohammad, who headed Pakistan's umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban faction in Bajaur, received help from neighbouring Afghan province Kunar but was now on the run, the military said.

“We will deal with him,” Khan said.

“We have now cleared this area till the Afghan border, military operation is in its final stages and policing has been started,” he added.

The army first mounted an operation in Bajaur in August 2008 and claimed victory in February last year, only for violence to return when their focus switched to Pakistani Taliban fighters in Swat and South Waziristan.

“Then this surrendered valley again turned into militant safe haven, we then came back and cleared the area,” said Khan.

Damadola covers four to six square kilometres (1.5 to two square miles) and lies 20 kilometres from the Afghan border, Colonel Noman Saeed told AFP.

He said the latest offensive killed 75 militants, arrested 76 and forced 364 to surrender. Death tolls are impossible to confirm independently.

Overall, 2,200 militants have been killed or wounded in Bajaur since 2008, Saeed said, putting the army death toll at 149.

“Now their leadership does not exist. Twenty-five per cent of them have gone to Afghanistan, 15 per cent have gone back to Swat and other native areas,” Khan claimed.

The general appealed to the international community to help the army assist the local people with food and services in a bid to keep the Taliban at bay.


DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Key Taliban complex captured in Bajaur

 

[ameer219]

“We have now cleared this area till the Afghan border, military operation is in its final stages and policing has been started,” he added.

Allhamdulilah! But just curious, does the military oprerations cover the whole thing including North Waziristan?

Furthemore, Does this mean that the militancy in the tribal areas of Pakistan is coming to an end?

 

[mjnaushad]

Pakistan Army all the way.