PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The Pakistani military said Monday that it had launched a ground assault in North Waziristan, marking the most determined effort yet to seize control of a lawless tribal district that has become a hub of Islamist militancy.
After two weeks of air and artillery strikes during which more than 500,000 people fled the area, soldiers moved into Miram Shah, the main town of North Waziristan, early Monday, military and intelligence officials said.
Related: "The number of Pakistanis who have fled a tribal area bordering Afghanistan where the army is fighting militants has risen to 307,501, officials said Saturday. Since Wednesday when a curfew was relaxed in North Waziristan, 25,242 families had left the area and registered at checkpoints along the way, said Arbab Muhammad Arif, who heads the administration of seven tribal regions along the Afghan border (AP)."
In a statement confirming the operation, the military press office said infantry and special forces units had carried out house-to-house searches in the town, uncovering militant tunnels and bomb factories.
The statement said that 15 militants were killed and three soldiers were wounded in the ground offensive, but it did not offer details of the fighting.
The military was continuing to direct tank and artillery fire on militant targets in Mir Ali, the other major town in North Waziristan, it said.
No independent confirmation of the military’s statement was available. Local and foreign media outlets are not allowed to enter the volatile tribal region, which is along the border with Afghanistan, and journalists are dependent on official statements about the developments of the military assault.
The military operation in North Waziristan started June 15, one week after militants based in the district carried out an audacious assault on Pakistan’s largest airport, in Karachi, that left at least 36 people, including 10 attackers, dead.
I will be working my way up to that shortly.
Last week, suspected Taliban militants attacked a passenger jet as it landed at Peshawar airport, killing a passenger and causing several international airlines to suspend their services to the northwestern city.
In the past decade, North Waziristan has become a sanctuary for an array of militant groups including the Pakistani Taliban, the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani network, and Al Qaeda.
Al-CIA-Duh is no longer funny, sorry.
It has borne the brunt of the US drone campaign in Pakistan’s tribal belt, and US officials have frequently pressed Pakistan to shut down the sanctuaries.
I will be working my way up to those, too.
The Pakistani Taliban and allied Uzbek militants, both of which claimed responsibility for the Karachi attack, are the principal targets of the current operation, officials say. But the military spokesman has insisted that the operation will also target the Haqqani network, which fights in Afghanistan and has longstanding ties with Pakistani military intelligence.
Still, reports from different sources suggest that some militants have fled the area in anticipation of the operation.
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You see what inspired the title of this post?
Also getting tanked:
Musharraf Misses Court Date
Bomb goes off near former Pakistani leader’s convoy
Pakistan’s former ruler pleads not guilty to treason
Musharraf’s guilt called ‘irrefutable’
Former president on trial: Pakistan’s cycle of retribution
How come we never try our former presidents for crimes, Americans?
Also getting tanked:
Musharraf Misses Court Date
Bomb goes off near former Pakistani leader’s convoy
Pakistan’s former ruler pleads not guilty to treason
Musharraf’s guilt called ‘irrefutable’
Former president on trial: Pakistan’s cycle of retribution
How come we never try our former presidents for crimes, Americans?
