Pakistan: 60 Militants Killed in Operation

Six Soldiers Also Dead in Army's Offensive Against Jihadist Sanctuary Near Afghan Border

(AP)  Pakistan's army claimed Sunday to have killed 60 militants on the first day of an operation against an al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary close to the Afghan border that residents said was meeting stiff resistance from insurgents.

The army said six soldiers had also been killed in the opening salvoes of the push into South Waziristan.

It was not possible to independently verify those figures because reporters have been stopped from getting close to the battlefield.

The operation in South Waziristan follows repeated requests from the U.S. to take on the jihadists behind soaring terrorist attacks in the nuclear-armed nation, as well as al Qaeda and other extremists believed to be plotting strikes in the West.

It involves mostly poorly equipped Pakistani soldiers trained to fight conventional wars, not counterinsurgency operations, who have failed in three other campaigns in the mountainous region since 2004. Much of the region is under total Taliban control.

Accounts from residents and those fleeing Sunday suggested that the 30,000 troops were in for a bloodier time than in the Swat Valley, another northwestern region that the army successfully wrested away from insurgents earlier this year.

"Militants are offering very tough resistance to any movement of troops," Ehsan Mahsud, a resident of Makeen, a town in the region, told The Associated Press in the town of Mir Ali, close to the battle zone. He and a friend arrived there early Sunday after traveling through the night.

Mahsud said the army appeared to be mostly relying on air strikes and artillery against militants occupying high ground. He said the insurgents were firing heavy machine guns at helicopter gunships, forcing the air force to use higher-flying jets.

The army is up against about 10,000 local militants and about 1,500 foreign fighters, most of them from Central Asia. They control roughly 1,275 square miles of territory, or about half of South Waziristan, in areas loyal to former militant chief Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a U.S. missile strike in August.

Officials have said they envisage the operation will last two months, when winter weather will make fighting difficult.

A brief army statement said 60 militants had been killed, along with six soldiers, since Saturday. It said the army had secured high regions close to Razmak, where the army has had a base for several years, and destroyed six militant anti-aircraft gun positions.

A resident in Wana - the main town in South Waziristan and in the heart of Taliban-held territory - said the insurgents had left the town and were stationed on the borders of the region, determined to block any army advance.

"All the Taliban who used to be around here have gone to take their position to protect the Mehsud boundary," Azamatullah Wazir said by phone Sunday. "The army will face difficulty to get in there."

(Left: Supporters of the Pakistani religious party Jamaat-e-Islami gather around a U.S. flag after setting it on fire during a rally against the recently-signed Kerry-Lugar bill, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009 in Karachi.)

Intelligence officials said Saturday that the ground troops were advancing on two flanks and a northern front of a central part of South Waziristan controlled by the Mehsuds. The areas being surrounded include the insurgent bases of Ladha and Makeen, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to brief the media.

As many as 150,000 civilians - possibly more - have left in recent months after the army made clear it was planning an assault, but as many as 350,000 could still be in the region. The United Nations has been stockpiling relief supplies in a town near the region, but authorities are not expecting a major refugee crisis like the one that occurred during the offensive this year in the Swat Valley.

Over the last three months, the Pakistani air force has been bombing targets in South Waziristan, while the army has said it has sealed off many Taliban supply and escape routes. The military has been trying to secure the support of local tribal armies in the fight.

[kangkoongkernitz]

i just watch aljazeera today and the problem is the nato forces is not blocking the the afghan border... if this thing is true then the pakistan campaign against the taliban will be useless...

[melchg07]

I think that this is another good sign. If Pakistan continues this the extremists really won't have the secure training grounds they once had.

Pakistan had mostly stayed as a by-stander for most of this war, up until early this year when it became evident that the taliban was going to challenge their government.

The Pakistani government finally took some major action and once they did they can't simply go back. This major offensive is a sign that Pakistan has become fairly serious about pushing against the taliban and al queada in their country.

I think the violence is about to ramp up in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Although that is sad, it will likely be because the Taliban are having the walls closing in around them....which in the long run is a good thing. If Pakistan pushes against them, they just can't run across the border to Afghanistan where US troops are.

The only place they could run to is Iran....which BTW....did anyone notice the headline of Iran having a suicide attack? Iran will have to figure out if they are going to just sit back and watch or make sure their country doesn't become a 'safehaven' for the taliban and al queada.....which would have major international implications at a time they are already under major scrutiny.

The taliban is biting off more than they can chew and eventually it will mean their defeat.

[chelokee]

The Taliban members as well as al Qaeda members should look in the mirror and puke. That's what the rest of the world thinks of you. When I think of the Taliban or al Qaeda I wanna puke. Thats what the Taliban and al Qaeda are- just putrid vomit. The Taliban and al Qaeda kill innocent men, women and children. These Taliban and al Qaeda are nothin but a bunch of yellow cowards. All of human civilization hates your guts. How does it feel to be hated by your own race? We are all ashamed that you are part of this world. You thugs are so ignorant, you even corrupted your own religion. It must not take much intelligence to be in the Taliban or al Qaeda. DUH.

[Mkw789]

Afghanistan and Waziristan, is where our troops should have been to begin with. But NATO should be the harrassing insurgent, not the occupier trying to prop up a corrupt Karzai regime -- saw a cool site; Balkingpoints ; incredible satellite view of earth

[pensacola8-2009]

The Pakistani Army is an effective military force. All those who believe that inferiority exists in their capability are simply ignorant or misinformed.

Pakistani citizens follow their culture and are most suited for gaining acceptance of the civilian population when they post their presence and manage an assault against militants with civilians present. They know the conduct of their own people and make far more effective tactical judgements than anyone else in the region and require fewer troops to succeed.

They deserve praise and respect for a very difficult task. Those who condemn Pakistani culture should simply look into our own history of militant violence at various school yard massacres, bombings that occured here at the Olympics in Atlanta, abortion clinics, a federal building in Oklahoma and even a federal employee working in a toxic agent lab who mailed anthrax to various elected officials.

The USA has similar problems with domestic violence as most other nations. No superiority exists here.

Civilians are civilians no matter where you live.

Militants are militants no matter where you live.

We have militant citizens here spreading violence around the world. Do names like KKK, Skinheads, and various other sound like peaceful organizations?

[rafaeldrc]

This strikes me as the usual smoke screen that any military proclaims to propagate the idea of confidence and victory during the start of a war. The real fighting is to come in the weeks, months and years ahead. The Pakistani military is trained along classical lines of warfare, not insurgent nor gorilla tactics. Pakistan is at the knee portion of the learning curve. Let us not forget that Pakistan was a key supporter of the Taliban after the Taliban defeated the Russians in the late 80s. Pakistan knows little of actual war except skirmishes with India. I think Pakistan saw the lure and struck. Now the question is: What do the Taliban intend to do to the Pakistani Army?