Pakistan Army Braces for Waziristan Battle
The Pakistani army expects Taliban and al Qaeda fighters in the South Waziristan tribal region to put up "tough resistance" against a military offensive, the army's chief spokesman said.
Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas also confirmed earlier reports that the military has completed preparations for the long-awaited offensive in the lawless northwest region bordering Afghanistan, but would not give a start date.
"God willing, peace will again be restored in the area through a successful operation," he told the ARY news channel in an interview that aired Tuesday and Wednesday.
South Waziristan is considered the main base for Pakistan's Taliban movement, and any operation to clear the region is likely to gain praise from the United States. U.S. officials have long pressed Pakistan to eliminate safe havens on its soil used by militants to plan attacks on American and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
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An operation in South Waziristan will face steep challenges, ranging from harsh terrain to well dug-in militants.
Speaking to CBS News' Sami Yousafzai via telephone Tuesday, a Taliban subcommander in the tribal region said it was apparent that Pakistani forces were preparing for an offensive in the area, and he vowed revenge attacks across the country if it should be carried out.
"A new series of attacks will be started all over Pakistan if the Pakistani army continues its military movements in the tribal areas," Jihad Yar Wazir told CBS News from an undisclosed location.
Pakistan's military said months ago it was planning an operation aimed at eliminating Baitullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban chief, in South Waziristan. But the U.S. killed Mehsud in a missile strike in August, and since then, there have been lingering questions over whether Pakistan would try to dismantle the rest of his network there.
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Wazir also berated the Pakistani forces for their "propaganda" claiming Mehsud's replacement, Hakimullah Mehsud, was killed in Taliban infighting following the U.S. missile strike.
Haikmullah, now the militant group's senior commander in Pakistan, proved those claims to be untrue by meeting a group of reporters Sunday for an interview during which he seemed quite at ease - mixing jokes with threats against Pakistani leaders and their American allies.
"We are fully prepared for that operation and we will give full proof of those preparations once the offensive is launched," he told reporters of the expected South Waziristan offensive.
Analysts say 10,000 well-armed militants, including foreign fighters, are in the region.
Abbas said the army had already tried to weaken the militants by surrounding them, blocking roads and targeting them through air strikes. The point was to weaken the militants before launching a full-scale offensive against them.
"For the last month, the Pakistani army has been imposing curfews on the main highway in North Waziristan and keeping the public away from the main roads," Wazir told Yousafzai. "They are shifting army personnel and weapons to North Waziristan."
"As we all know, this group and this organization has fighters and they will offer a tough resistance in this area," Abbas said.
On Tuesday, the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at the World Food Program headquarters in Islamabad that killed five people. The attack Monday prompted the U.N. to temporarily shut all its offices across the country.
Shortly after the blast on Monday, a Pakistani security official told CBS News' Farhan Bohkari the attack may have been timed to coincide with the expected military campaign in the country's lawless border region with Afghanistan.