Pakistan advances on Taliban homeland

Pakistan today pressed ahead with its offensive on the homeland of Taliban suicide bombers responsible for a plague of recent attacks across the country.

Troops fought militants on three fronts in the Afghan border region of South Waziristan and jets bombed their positions.

The army and the Taliban have both claimed early victories in the mountainous tribal 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 in South Waziristan is seen as Pakistan’s most crucial yet against militants that are in control of a large swath of its northwest,north-west close to the Afghan border.

Intelligence officials said fighting was going on close to Jandola, Razmak and Wana, three towns where the army had bases. Jets were making bombing runs in the Ladha and Makeen areas.

The army said yesterday that 60 militants and six soldiers have been killed since the offensive began Saturday.

Intelligence officials said eight more militants were killed today as they advanced on troops in the Khaisur area.

The Taliban claimed to have inflicted “heavy casualties” and pushed advancing soldiers back into their bases.

The military offensive is focused on eliminating Pakistani Taliban militants linked to the Mehsud tribe, who control roughly 1,275 square miles of territory, or about half of South Waziristan. They are blamed for 80% of the suicide attacks that have battered Pakistan over the last three years, including five major attacks over the last two weeks.

Part of the strategy involves striking deals with other militant groups and tribes in the region to ensure they support the fight, or at least stay neutral.

Some 30,000 troops are up against an estimated 10,000 Pakistani militants and about 1,500 foreign fighters.

As many as 150,000 civilians have left in recent months after the army made clear it was planning an assault, but some 350,000 people may be left in the region. Authorities say that up to 200,000 people may flee in the coming days, but do not expect to have to house them in camps because most have relatives in the region.

Residents and those fleeing said militant resistance was far tougher than in the Swat Valley, another north-western region where insurgents were overpowered earlier this year. Officials have said they envisage the operation will last two months, when winter weather will make fighting difficult.

Meanwhile today police said they had arrested a man identified as the head of the Pakistani Taliban in the southern city of Karachi along with three other alleged militants in connection with a foiled attempt to attack an oil terminal last month.

Akhtar Zaman and the other suspects were arrested in a raid on a building in the western part of the city.

Wearing women’s burkhas, three suspected militants killed a security guard as they tried to enter the oil terminal last month, but fled as police arrived.