Posted on 05/09/2009 9:26:05 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) – Pakistan's military said on Saturday that a full-scale offensive in the northwest has put militants on the back foot following a pledge from President Asif Ali Zardari to eliminate the Taliban.
Warplanes pounded rebel hideouts in the Swat valley, an ex-ski resort where up to 15,000 security forces have been deployed under orders to crush extremists in an escalating conflict that has displaced hundreds of thousands.
"They are on the run," the army said in a statement, without making clear exactly how much progress it had made in driving militants from their positions.
But the statement added that Taliban fighters were "trying to block the exodus of innocent civilians by preventing their departure through coercion, IEDs (improvised explosive devices), road blocks with trees and even (making them) hostages".
Meanwhile a suspected US drone fired missiles at a compound used by militants in South Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan, killing six militants and injuring 10 others, officials said.
The military said Friday an air and ground offensive to crush the Taliban in the northwest killed more than 140 militants.
It was impossible to confirm the death tolls independently, given ongoing operations across three districts which began late last month when the hardline insurgents advanced to within 100 kilometres (60 miles) of Islamabad.
Meanwhile, fresh troops were entering the Malakand district which neighbours Swat valley, a local military official told AFP.
People fleeing the area, however, have accused the military of also killing civilians in the fierce bombardment.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Keep these fokkers on the run.
Too bad for Musharraf that he didn't accomplish the same thing.
Pakistani soldiers patrol the Buner district on May 8. Pakistan's military says a full-scale offensive in the northwest has put militants on the back foot following a pledge from President Asif Ali Zardari to eliminate the Taliban. (AFP/Tariq Mahmood)
The only major bad news about this is that Obama as well as all of his leftist buddies will also take credit for ALL of this, and this will hurt conservative chances for political victory even more in ‘09 and ‘10.
A Pakistani tank patrols the Buner district on May 8. Pakistan's military says a full-scale offensive in the northwest has put militants on the back foot following a pledge from President Asif Ali Zardari to eliminate the Taliban. (AFP/Tariq Mahmood)
I don’t watch the TV news. Is there really a war going on over there? I’M SERIOUS. I have a friend who is a doctor who has been over there for only a week. “Phony war” and all that, you know.
Band-aid policies always fail. How will they destroy the Taliban - it is a movement of thought?
Depends on what the definition of’ War’ IS. ;-)
Are bullets flying and people dying?
Yes
Here’s to a safe journey for your friend.
The Taliban are not on the run at all. This is so typical of the Pakis. Are they allowing any foreign journalists or even local jounarlists into SWAT and Malakland to cover the fighting? Of course not.
It is common knowledge that the ISI is in cahoots with the Jihadis and the big fish who are in control will not be harmed. The gov’t uses these exercises to extort money from the int’l community (mainly the USA).
The sequence being followed this time is just like during the Bush years and it goes like this.
1. The Taliban/Al Qaeda, etc get the gov’t to agree to a ‘peace treaty’ in return for taking over control of more of the country from the corrupt Paki gov’t.
2. The Jihaid’s, being the scum they are, do not intend to live up to the treaty they sign and promptly start enforcing Sharia and teroriszing the local populace.
3. The gov’t, after trying to ‘negotiate’ with the Taliban, turn to the west for ‘support’ (IE mountains of cash which Mr. 10%, the current leader of Pakistan fully intends to divert a good portion of to his overseas bank accounts.
4. After the US (in 2007 Obama said he would only provide support after the Pakis had rooted out the Taliban, not before) agrees to send $1.5 billion a year for five years (JF’n Kerry came up with this gem of an idea this time) the Paki’s send in (allegedly) 15,000 of their army (out of a total of 520,000 regular and 500,000 reserve troops or a piddling 2.9% of their regular army) to ‘fight’ the Taliban.
5. Before they invade, the ISI helpfully lets the Jihadi’s know the plans in advance. The leaders safely relocate to areas they know will not be attacked, and leave the untrained cannon fodder in their place.
6. The Paki army ‘invades’ and indiscrimantely bombs and shells the area, claims great success at killing militants (mostly civilians dies BTW, but since no press is allowed to cover the fighting, no inconvenient pictures leak out).
7. The army claims victory, and moves out of the NWFP because under the Paki constitution, that area is not under the writ of the national gov’t.
8.The USA congratulates the Paki gov’t for their bold action and the money flows.
9. The Jihadi scum move back in and set up shop, but lay low for awhile to regroup. The gov’t ignores them like they would a hornet’s nest. The Jihadis keep control, the gov’t gets their cash, and the Americans get screwed.
Wash, rinse, repeat
Exactly so.
The trouble with our aid is that it goes into the existing, corrupt political regime that is creating the problem.
The State Dept. messed up Iraq and Afghanistan this way and it is their history. The best aid would be more liberty in these countries, barring that I'd like to see micro-lending instead of a US aid package (govt. to govt.).
Excellent summary.
I’m waiting for the government to declare “victory” sometime in the next week or so.
LOL! You lifted that word for word right from Obama Hussein!
Deal with the moderate islamics. - LOL!
Screw Obama. The Pakistanis finally got sick and tired of the Taliban. They want them to get the hell out of there. And go to Afghanistan where there are AC-130 gunships waiting for them.
Is “modearet madrassas” an oxymoron?
“the Swat valley, an ex-ski resort”?
ex, don’t ya know it.
Skiing and the taliban don’t mix well.
We should do three things
1. Insert SOF and Airborne into Warzistan
2. Start using heavy air assets there
3. Kill the Taliban once and for all.
I would take an news from Pakistan’s destruction of the Taliban with a grain of salt. Mushie pulled this stuff everytime he came to the US it seems.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.