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India-Pakistan
South Waziristan clashes kill 60 militants
2009-10-19
[Dawn] Security forces claimed on Sunday to have made steady gains in their assaults on militants' strongholds in South Waziristan and army officials said they were surprised by low level of resistance. 'The area has been heavily mined. There are a lot of improvised explosive devices and mines. But the level of resistance from the militants is not very high,' one of them said.

A military spokesman said five security personnel were killed and 11 wounded during 24 hours of operation Rah-i-Nijat. He put the Taliban's fatalities at 60.

He said that troops and planes had knocked out six 12.7mm anti-aircraft guns in different areas to eliminate militants' capability to attack helicopters. 'At one place, they abandoned their position and fled,' Maj-Gen Athar Abbas said. A spokesman of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan acknowledged that the army had launched a multi-pronged attack.

Azam Tariq admitted that the military had occupied Kanda and Kalkali, but claimed that security personnel had been pushed back from their positions. He claimed that missiles fired by militants into a guest-house in Shakai owned by late senator Faridullah had killed eight soldiers and wounded many others.

Clashes took place in Sharwangi Nari, Spinkay Raghzai, Makin, Nawazkot and Khaisaro. Troops moving from the east, who had occupied Spinkay Raghzai, advanced by a kilometre and reached Mandana. They are now poised to enter the strategic Kotkai valley. Troops are also believed to have launched attacks from the north to enter Makin.

From the southern fringes of the region, security personnel advanced from Wana-Shakai and Tiarza towards Kanigoram, Badar and Laddah, the regional headquarters of the Mehsud part of South Waziristan, and reached Sharwangai. Heavy fighting was reported in Sharwangai Narai, some eight kilometres from Shakai valley. Local authorities put the casualties suffered by security forces at eight dead and 12 wounded.

According to sources, 19 militants were killed in clashes and bombing. The Taliban spokesman claimed that militants' supporters from religious organisations and madressahs in Punjab, Sindh and the NWFP were in touch with them and were reaching the battle zone through different routes.

He accepted the responsibility for recent attacks in Lahore and Peshawar. It is learnt that Afghan Taliban commander Mullah Sangeen had brought 1,500 fighters to support the TTP flanks in South Waziristan.

Meanwhile, an anti-Baitullah militant group has offered support for security forces against the TTP. 'We are with the security forces and, if called, we would fight alongside them against (former TTP chief) Baitullah's men,' a spokesman for the Misbahuddin group said. He said a formal announcement in this regard was expected soon.

More than 100,000 people have fled South Waziristan where the government has launched a major ground assault against the Taliban, officials said on Sunday. 'Around 100,000 people have been displaced. They are settling in neighbouring Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts,' Colonel Waseem Shahid from an army support group said. 'Some 80,000 people had already left Waziristan before the operation. More people are coming out. In the last two days about 1,500 families or you can say some 22,000 people have left the area,' he added.

Officials say the number could rise to 200,000 with more families expected to leave in coming days, despite an indefinite curfew slapped on parts of South Waziristan, home to a population of 600,000.

A spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency in Pakistan confirmed that authorities had registered more than 100,000 displaced people. 'Over the last five days, 3,065 families (around 21,000 people) registered... before this latest influx there had been about 80,500 people or 11,000 families,' Ariane Rummery said.
Posted by:Fred

#4  The leaders of the militants were given a month to vacate the area so no wonder resistance is low.ISI tip offs are valuable to Taliban/AQ!
Posted by: EX PARA   2009-10-19 20:20  

#3  PRAVDA > Artic claims approxi 250,000 ppeople have fled the SOuth Waziristan fighting.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2009-10-19 18:19  

#2  It's a lot better than the previous results of giving the massive aid and getting nothing.
Posted by: Odysseus   2009-10-19 10:36  

#1  Well, this is what we're getting for our massive aid to Pakistan. Hope it's worth it.
Posted by: gromky   2009-10-19 01:30  

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