Pakistani army attacks militants in lawless region

TROOPS fought militants on three fronts and fighter jets bombed insurgent positions near the Afghan border yesterday as Pakistan pressed ahead with an assault on the country’s main Taliban and al-Qaida stronghold.

The army and the Pakistani Taliban have each claimed early victories in South Waziristan, a lawless, semi-autonomous region that Islamist extremists use as a base to plot attacks on the Pakistani state, Western troops in Afghanistan and targets in the West.

The offensive, now in its third day, in South Waziristan is seen as Pakistan’s most crucial yet against militants that are in control of a large swath of its north-west, close to the Afghan border, and have carried out a string of bloody attacks in recent weeks, including a 22-hour siege of army headquarters.

Pakistan troops have been beaten back from the mountainous region there three times since 2004.

Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said forces were moving deeper into militant-controlled territory from three directions, taking rocket fire and fighting insurgents. Jets were making bombing runs in the Ladha andMakeen areas, he said.

He said 78 militants and nine soldiers had been killed since the offensive began.

It is nearly impossible to independently verify what is going on in South Waziristan because the army is blocking access to it and surrounding towns.

The offensive is focused on eliminating Pakistani Taliban militants linked to the Mehsud tribe, which controls about half of South Waziristan.

They are blamed for 80% of the suicide attacks that have battered Pakistan over the past three years.

The army has been trying to isolate the Mehsud tribe from others in the region.

This is something many analysts say will be key to its success or failure as the army does not have the strength to take on all the groups in the region simultaneously.