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| Pak forces poised to strike Taliban epicentre: report |
| Press Trust of India / New York Oct 02, 2009, 13:19 IST |
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Pakistan army is poised to storm into militants main stronghold of South Waziristan to target what senior military officials say is 'Talibans Epicentre'.
The 'D-Day', The New York Times reported today is coming in a few days quoting senior Pakistan military and security officials, who are expecting "a stiff resistance".
Military build up- both ground troops and armour- has been completed and the army has enforced a three month economic blockade of the area, where US suspects that even the main leadership of the Al-Qaeda including its chief Osama Bin Laden may be sheltered.
"This is where we will be fighting the toughest of all battles" senior military officials were quoted who said the army was now ready to re-enter the area, having decided it could wait no longer.
Since June, the paper said thousands of army soldiers were sitting on the fringes of the area, waiting for orders from the military high command to move in.
Thousands of civilians have left the area following calls from the army and re-located to Dera Ismail Khan and Tank both in North West Frontier Province, giving the army a relatively free hand to mount an operation.
"For three months, the military has been drawing up plans, holding in depth deliberations and studying past operations in the area, where previous campaigns ended in failure and resulted in some of the Pakistan army's' highest level of casualties," Times said citing senior military person.
Even now, the paper quoted military officials as saying they expected stiff resistance once again in an area which they called "epicentre of Taliban in Pakistan and a secure base for Al-Qaeda".
The past two operations in South Waziristan ended up with the military bogged down and suing for peace resulting in a series of accords that ultimately strengthened the hands of Taliban.
An operation in January 2004, 'Operation Zalzala' followed by another in February 5, 2005 both ending in failures. With the failures went any pretence of state authority in Waziristan, as the government in effect ceded control to emboldened militants.
Military officials are hoping things would be different this time, drawing upon their experience gained after taking on militants first in Bajaur, then in Mohamand and most recently in Swat.
The paper quoting military strategists said the best time for Pakistan army to have stormed the Taliban citadel was immediately after the slaying of Tehrik-i-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in US drone strikes in August.
But a senior Pakistan military official said in addition to needing to wait for the forces as resources to be available, the military wanted to see the repercussions of Baitullah's death.
"We thought Baitullah's death would unravel the Mehsud militant group and galvanise the tribe to stand up to the people they have suffered from," officers said. "It didn't happen."
The Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has made two aerial trips to oversee his troops preparations and during the visit described Waziristan as an intelligence black hole.
"We have to move in" Kayani said recently.
The Times said it is not going to be a cake walk, saying that Pakistan army would have to overcome 6,000 to 7,000 Mehsud fighters who have been thickened by foreign elements, particularly Uzbeks, who have a reputation as ferocious fighters.
Then there is the Haqqani network, which uses the area as a base for its operations in Afghanistan, and there is Al-Qaeda, which depends heavily on the Mehsud fighting force.
"They will defend there power base and fight till the very last" military officials admitted.
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