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| Afghanistan/South Asia | |
| Pakistan winding down Waziristan operation | |
| 2004-03-28 | |
Pakistani troops began withdrawing from some parts of western Pakistan on Sunday after militants agreed to release captured soldiers and politicians, but officials said soldiers will remain in the area while tribal leaders negotiate the handing over of foreign militants. Troops also began withdrawing from some parts of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal areas on Sunday after what officials called a successful operation, Shah said. "The main objectives of the operation have been achieved. They included destroying dens, searching of homes, taking people into custody and the recovery of gadgets and equipment," Shah said. He said the troops would regroup in South Waziristan's main town of Wana and would remain in the area. But he said between 500-600 suspected militants may still be hiding along the border with Afghanistan and he did not rule out military force against them. Shah said the army would continue to use a combination of military operations and talks with tribal leaders to rid the region of suspected al-Qaeda forces and allies. "The army will stay in South Waziristan until the foreigners are flushed out of the area and tribesmen harbouring them are captured. In the meantime, military operations and dialogue through the (tribal leaders) will continue," he said. About 10,000 Mahsud tribesmen met on Sunday near Wana, to help authorities track the perpetrators of an attack on an army convoy last week. | |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #5 Mr. D, I meant the Israeli Defense Force. Do the Indians contract out? |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-03-28 10:03:42 PM |
| #4 Super Hose, By IDF do you mean Israeli Defence Force or Indian Defence Force? Perhaps this is another job that can be outsourced to our friends on the sub-continent. I'll bet they could take care of the ISI while they're at it. |
| Posted by: Mr. Davis 2004-03-28 9:32:50 PM |
| #3 The IDF makes incursions into Indian country every so often. Think of this as a thunder run. I hope the operation is repeated randomly. I don't think the Pakistani Government can permanently occupy that region successfully, but they need to prevent the hornets from nesting successfully. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-03-28 9:21:45 PM |
| #2 To properly clean up things, heavy assaults are needed with no cease fires. Unconditional surrender. But do not expect it in Pak Land. S.O.S. Agreed. But part of me thinks we just need more money. Buy both sides off and then ditch 'em like a cheap softballglove. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-03-28 7:22:05 PM |
| #1 This sounds like another Afghanistan Guns for Money deal. Nobody in the Pak army has the real motivitation and enthusiasm to clean out the trash in Waziristan. They fight, kill some people, have a cease fire, horse trade bodies and hostages, maybe fight a little more and then disengage. Like the Afghani warlords armies, there is too much corruption. To properly clean up things, heavy assaults are needed with no cease fires. Unconditional surrender. But do not expect it in Pak Land. S.O.S. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-03-28 5:18:33 PM |