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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistan tells agencies to prepare for N.Waziristan evacuation |
| 2011-05-30 |
| Humanitarian agencies active in Pakistan's northwest have been quietly told to prepare for up to 365,000 displaced people in advance of a military offensive against North Waziristan, a senior official with an international humanitarian agency said Monday. The official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, was responding to a media report in a local newspaper that Pakistan will launch a military offensive against al Qaeda and Taliban safe havens in the Afghan border regions. "Humanitarian agencies operating in FATA and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were given the heads up two weeks ago by the authorities of a possible displacement of up to 50,000 families," he said, referring to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the northwest province. A similar tip-off in 2009 preceded a military offensive in neighboring South Waziristan by about five months, he said. Other aid agencies were not immediately available for comment. An understanding for an offensive in North Waziristan, the main sanctuary in Pakistan for militants fighting in Afghanistan, was reached when Clinton and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen visited Pakistan last week, the News reported. The United States has long demanded that Pakistan attack the region to eliminate the Haqqani network, one of the deadliest Afghan militant factions fighting U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Pakistan has been reluctant to do so, but it has come under more pressure and its performance in fighting militancy is under scrutiny again after it was discovered that Osama bin Laden had been living in the country. The News quoted unidentified "highly placed sources" as saying Pakistan's air force would soften up militant targets under the "targeted military offensive" before ground operations were launched. The newspaper cited the sources as saying that a strategy for action in North Waziristan had been drawn up some time ago and an "understanding for carrying out the operation was developed" during the Clinton visit. The target of any North Waziristan operation would be the most violent factions of the Pakistani Taliban, which has strong ties to al Qaeda, the report said. But the United States would almost certainly push for a move against Haqqani, too. Pakistani officials were not immediately available for comment. A U.S. embassy official had no immediate comment. The newspaper said a "joint operation" with allies had been discussed but no decision had been taken because of sensitivities. "In case the two sides agreed to go for a joint action, it would be the first time in the present war (on militancy) that foreign boots will get a chance to be on Pakistani soil with the consent of the host country." |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #1 Looks like CHINA + CENTRAL ASIA are going to be nervously twiddling their fingers after all as Beijing has feared that any major North Waziristan, etc. offensive will cause the Islamist MilTerrs to escape into West China + stir up things wid the Uighurs??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-05-30 21:05 |