Pakistan army begins ground assault on Taliban in South Waziristan

Source: Telegraph & BBC

Pakistan's army has begun a ground operation against Taliban militants in the South Waziristan region on the Afghan border after weeks of air and artillery strikes.

Published: 7:59AM BST 17 Oct 2009

A senior government official said that the government and party leaders gave the military full backing on Friday, vowing to weed out militants and restore the writ of the state.

"The ground operation has begun," said Tariq Hayat Khan, the secretary of Pakistan's ethnic Pashtun tribal regions.

The army has said about 28,000 soldiers are in place to take on an estimated 10,000 hard-core Taliban. About 500 commandos arrived in the region on Friday, security officials said.

The army has stepped up its air and artillery attacks in recent days to soften up the militants' defences while civilians have been fleeing.

The militants have launched a series of brazen attacks in the past 12 days, striking at the United Nations, the army headquarters, police and the general public, killing more than 150 people and apparently trying to stave off the army assault.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/10/17/world/international-uk-pakistan-violence-operation.html?_r=1

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Pakistan forces move on Taliban

Source: BBC

The Pakistan army has started moving troops and artillery towards the Taliban militants' stronghold in South Waziristan, local officials say.

They told the BBC that 30,000 troops backed by tanks were moving in on the stronghold of Hakimullah Mehsud, the new head of the Pakistan Taliban.

They are moving from the north, the east, and the west.

A curfew was imposed in the region before the offensive began, after several Taliban attacks in recent days.

A lot more details here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8311927.stm

I wish them success.

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Yeah, I'm happy that Pakistan is starting to get up off its ass and doing something about the Taliban.

When did I say anything about a bloodbath? I'd be happy if the Taliban forces surrendered without a shot being fired.

Are you still offended? Would you like to retire to the fainting couch in the parlor?

that 3-to-1 odds in favor of the Pakistanis isn't enough in country owned by the Taliban. Especially if the Pakistani troops are "backed by tanks".

If I recall correctly, modern armies have a real problem in that area.

The terrain's to the defenders' advantage there, but on the other hand the Pakistanis would have vastly more experience with that neck of the woods than the coalition forces in Afghanistan. (Also, infantry backed by tanks would be a much different thing than tanks backed by infantry - the latter would definitely be madness in that terrain.)

with the United States providing the air support, they stand a much better chance of winning this thing than they ever did before.

Because this is going to be a either over shortly or it is going to be take them a long long time.

ISLAMABAD: Director General (DG) Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj Gen Athar Abbas has said security forces have launched operation "Rah-e-Nijat" against the militants in South Waziristan adding this operation can take 6 to 8 weeks towards its completion.

DG ISPR said this during his press briefing here Saturday in connection with operation in South Waziristan.

More: http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=153855

I heard a reporter saying on Al jazeera English earlier that they only have a window of a couple of months before the harsh winter that area experiences sets in.

but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

South Waziristan is a major worry for the U.S. not only because of concerns for the faltering American war effort in Afghanistan but also because it is considered a base from which to launch attacks across the world.

"This region is at the heart of the struggle against al-Qaida, the Taliban, and other global jihadi movements. It is a lawless sanctuary for extremists and would-be militants of every shape, size, and color," said Evan Kohlmann, whose U.S.-based NEFA Foundation follows terrorist groups.

=snip=

The plan is to capture and hold the area where Abbas estimates 10,000 insurgents are headquartered and reinforced with about 1,500 foreign fighters, most of them of Central Asian origin. "There are Arabs, but the Arabs are basically in the leadership, providing resources and expertise and in the role of trainers," he said.

=snip=

Despite sometimes rocky relations with the Pakistani military, the U.S. is trying to rush in equipment that would help with mobility, night fighting and precision bombing, a U.S. Embassy official told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "If we could deliver things tomorrow, it would be here," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the issue is politically sensitive. In addition to night vision devices, the Pakistan military has said it is seeking additional Cobra helicopter gunships, heliborne lift capability, laser-guided munitions and intelligence equipment to monitor cell and satellite telephones.

Full article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkiMxbHNH0BqgpWA2ZG6VD6wVTmAD9BCMKK81

it looks like this offensive in pakistan doesn't necessarily help the U.S. troops in the area (as mentioned in this video: http://bit.ly/2uCWDj) i think taliban fighters will simply cross the border and make trouble in afghanistan

Even simply forcing the Taliban and al-Qaeda to move opens them up to attack from special forces and drones, so even assuming the worst (that we don't hit them from both sides with large numbers of ground forces) this is still a positive development.