Pakistan (AP):
Pakistani soldiers attac-ked militant bases in the main al-Qaida and Taliban stronghold along the Afghan border yesterday as the nuclear-armed country launched its most critical offensive yet against insurgents threatening its stability.
Five soldiers and 11 militants were killed as the more than 30,000 troops deployed to the region met stiff resistance in parts of South Waziristan, a possible hideout of Osama bin Laden and a base for jihadists bent on overthrowing the United States (US)-backed government, attacking the West and scuttling the US war effort in Afghanistan
The US has pushed Pakistan to mount the offensive, which follows three unsuccessful campaigns since 2001 in the mountainous, remote region by mostly poorly equipped soldiers trained to fight conventional wars, not counterinsurgency operations.
The assault, which has been planned for several months, comes after a surge in militant attacks killed more than 175 people across Pakistan over the past two weeks. The operation is expected to last around two months and is aimed at clearing the region, then holding it, officials said.
Foreign fighters
Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the effort was focused on uprooting the Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella group of militants led by members of the Mehsud tribe blamed for most of the attacks that have battered the country over the last three years.
About 10,000 local militants and about 1,500 foreign fighters, most of them from Central Asia, control roughly 1,275 square miles (3,310 square kilometres) of territory, or about half of South Waziristan.
Intelligence officials said the ground troops yesterday were advancing on two flanks and a northern front of a central part of South Waziristan controlled by the Mehsuds. The areas being surrounded include the insurgent bases of Ladha and Makeen, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to brief the media.
Gun battles were taking place outside Spinkai Raghzai, Kalkala and Sharwangai areas, the officials said.
Relief supplies
As many as 150,000 civilians - possibly more - have left in recent months after the army made clear it was planning an assault. Most are believed to be staying in rented homes or with host families, but there are perhaps as many as 350,000 still in the region. The United Nations has been stockpiling relief supplies in a town near the region, but authorities are not expecting a major refugee crisis like the one that occurred during an offensive this year in the Swat Valley, also in the north-west.
Makeen resident Ajmal Khan said that the people left in his town were terrified but could not leave their homes due to a curfew.
"We heard sounds of planes and helicopters early yesterday. Then we heard blasts," Khan told The Associated Press by telephone. "We are also hearing gunshots and it seems the army is exchanging fire with the Taliban."
Over the last three months, the Pakistani air force has been bombing targets, while the army has said it has sealed off many Taliban supply and escape routes. The military has been trying to secure the support of local tribal armies in the fight.