General News
10/17/2009 9:09 PM ET
(RTTNews) -
Pakistan's military has launched a ground and air offensive against Taliban militants in their stronghold of South Waziristan on the Afghan border, according to media reports on Saturday.
The operation, which started on Friday, follows a string of militant attacks that began on October 5 with the suicide bombing of a U.N. office in Islamabad and included assaults on the army headquarters, police and the public in which more than 150 people were killed. Pakistani Taliban had made advances toward Islamabad early this year, raising fears about the stability of the U.S. ally.
According to officials, soldiers were advancing from three directions and were using artillery, mortars and aircraft, while the militants were offering stiff resistance by firing rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and anti-aircraft guns. About 30,000 soldiers are taking on an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 hard-core Taliban militants, including about 1,000 tough Uzbek fighters and some Arab al Qaeda members.
Four Pakistani soldiers were killed and twelve were wounded in initial clashes, reports said. A curfew was imposed in the region, where Pakistan Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud is based, prior to the offensive.
Pakistani troops have reportedly seized control of Kotkai, where Hakimullah Mehsud has lived with fellow commander Qari Hussein, the mastermind behind some the the deadliest suicide attacks in Pakistan.
Nearly all communications in the region were down after the Taliban destroyed a telecommunications tower at Tiarza. Aerial bombardments in the the Makeen area, a stronghold of the Mehsud tribe and a key army target, were also reported.
Up to 100,000 people have fled South Waziristan in anticipation of the offensive. South Waziristan is considered to be the first significant sanctuary for Islamic militants outside Afghanistan since 9/11.
The U.S. has encouraged offensives against Pakistan-based Taliban, saying Waziristan and other border districts are sanctuaries for jihadists who attack U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan. In a sign of U.S. support to Pakistan, President Barack Obama last week signed a US$7.5 billion aid bill for that country for the next five years.
by RTT Staff Writer
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