Pakistan takes fight to Taleban

Published on Saturday 17 October 2009 19:51

PAKISTAN launched a full-scale ground offensive on Taleban militants in South Waziristan yesterday as 30,000 troops backed by artillery advanced from three directions.

The assault follows a string of militant attacks that have killed more than 175 people in recent weeks. They began with the suicide bombing of a UN office in Islamabad and included assaults on the army headquarters, police and the public.

Pakistan has, since 2001, fought three unsuccessful campaigns in the region, which is the nerve centre for Pakistani insurgents fighting the US-backed government. It is also a major base for foreign militants planning attacks on allied forces in Afghanistan and on targets in the West.

Intelligence and government officials said troops were moving from the north, east and west towards insurgent bases at Ladha and Makeen, among other targets. The offensive is expected to last two months.

Militants were firing rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and anti-aircraft guns while government forces were using artillery, mortars and aircraft, intelligence officials said.

Makeen resident Ajmal Khan said people there were terrified but could not leave their homes because of a curfew.

"We heard sounds of planes and helicopters, then we heard blasts," Khan said yesterday. "We are also hearing gunshots; it seems the army is exchanging fire with the Taleban."

The army is fighting an estimated 10,000 militants, including around 1,000 Uzbek fighters and some Arab al-Qaeda members.

Local officials reported dozens of casualties. The bodies of three Pakistan soldiers were taken to the northern town of Razmak and there were unconfirmed reports of militant deaths.

In a show of unity before the offensive, Pakistani government and political party leaders gave the military their full backing on Friday.

At least 11 suspected insurgents had been killed in aerial bombings by Pakistan in recent weeks, according to local intelligence officials.

The United Nations has said it is preparing to help civilians who are leaving the region. Up to 150,000 have left in recent months but there could be as many as 350,000 remaining.

Fleeing residents yesterday said heavy exchanges of fire had erupted. "There was heavy firing from both sides and people are fleeing," villager Alluddin Mehsud said after arriving in Dera Ismail Khan city, east of the region.

Earlier, a government official said authorities had imposed a curfew along roads in South Waziristan to protect forces moving towards militant strongholds.

Roadside bombs went off near military convoys in both the South and North Waziristan regions, killing three soldiers and wounding five, another intelligence official said.

Pakistani Taleban made advances towards Islamabad early this year, raising fears about the country's stability, but significant military gains in the Swat valley, north-west of Islamabad, eased concerns.

In a sign of US support, president Barack Obama this week signed a $7.5 billion aid bill for Pakistan for five years.

But Pakistan's military have complained that the legislation ties some funds to fighting militants, and it is seen by critics as violating sovereignty.

In addition to night-vision devices, the Pakistan military has said it is seeking additional Cobra helicopter gunships, heliborne lift capability, laser-guided munitions and intelligence equipment to monitor cell and satellite telephones.

The offensive launched yesterday could be the Pakistani army's toughest test since the militants turned on the state, and it will be hoping Afghan Taleban factions elsewhere in South Waziristan and in North Waziristan stay out of the fight. Even if the operation is successful in South Waziristan, many of the militants could escape to Afghanistan or other parts of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt. Few analysts expect that by itself it will turn the tide in the country's war against militants.

The army has considered the upcoming winter weather in the timing of the offensive. Snows in the region could block major roads. At the same time, it could also work to the army's advantage by driving fighters out of their unheated mountain hideouts.

Although the military has been hitting targets in South Waziristan for the past three months, it waited until two weeks ago to say it would definitely go ahead with a major ground offensive.

Earlier this week, the airport in the nearest major town, Dera Ismail Khan, was closed to civilian aircraft.

Recent opinion polls show broad support for military action against the militants, a change from a few years ago. There is also political backing for action. But a long and bloody conflict – and more terror attacks around the country – could erode that support.

Speaking earlier in the week, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the assault would be limited to slain Pakistani Taleban leader Baitullah Mehsud's holdings – a swathe of territory that stretches roughly 1,275 square miles. That portion covers about half of South Waziristan, which itself is slightly smaller than Northern Ireland.

The plan is to capture and hold the area where Abbas estimates 10,000 insurgents and 1,500 foreign fighters – most of central Asian origin – are based.

"There are Arabs, but the Arabs are basically in the leadership, providing resources and expertise and in the role of trainers," he said.

Since 2001, the army's three attempts to dislodge Taleban fighters from South Waziristan have ended in truces that left the Taleban in control. This time the military says there will be no deals, partly to avoid jeopardising gains won earlier this year in the Swat Valley.

It is almost impossible to independently verify information from the region, which is largely controlled by local tribes and has little infrastructure or government presence. Few Pakistani journalists risk travelling there.