Sachinism Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 Fierce fighting has broken out as Pakistan's army launched an air and ground offensive against Taliban militants in the South Waziristan area. Officials said 30,000 troops, backed by artillery, had moved into the region where Pakistan Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud is based. Militants were reported to be offering stiff resistance as troops advanced from the north, east, and west. A curfew was imposed in the region before the offensive began. There have been several co-ordinated Taliban attacks in recent days, killing more than 150 people in cities across Pakistan. Pakistan's top army spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas confirmed that a fully-fledged assault had begun and said that an offensive could last up to two months. "The objective is to clear this terrorist organisation from the area, who has taken over the area, turned these state institutions, organisations out and has taken the entire population hostage," he told the BBC. He added that intense fighting was expected during the course of the operation. Dozens of casualties have already been reported by local officials as both sides used heavy weapons. The bodies of three Pakistan soldiers were taken to the northern town of Razmak. There have also been unconfirmed reports of militant deaths. Nearly all communications in the region were down after the Taliban destroyed a telecommunications tower at Tiarza, local officials said. Reports from the area are sketchy as it is difficult and dangerous for foreign or Pakistani journalists to operate inside South Waziristan. Air attack Aerial bombardments in the the Makeen area, a stronghold of the Mehsud tribe and a key army target, were also reported by local officials and witnesses. One resident of Makeen town described the onset of fighting. "We heard the sounds of planes and helicopters early Saturday. Then we heard blasts. We are also hearing gunshots and it seems the army is exchanging fire with Taliban," Ajmal Khan told the Associated Press news agency by telephone. The ground operation comes after weeks of air and artillery strikes against militant targets in the region, which lies close to the Afghan border. Thousands of civilians have fled South Waziristan in anticipation of the offensive. Aid agencies say that many more are expected to flee but the tough terrain and the Taliban's grip on the area will present difficulties. FORCES IN WAZIRISTAN Pakistan army: Two divisions totalling 28,000 soldiers Frontier Corp: Paramilitary forces from tribal areas likely to support army Taliban militants: Estimated between 10,000 and 20,000 Uzbek fighters supporting Taliban: Estimates widely vary between 500-5,000 Challenges in Waziristan Your comments Transport has been difficult as roads have been blocked by the military. There is a huge army presence on the road between Tank and Dera Ismail Khan, says the BBC's Islamabad correspondent Shoaib Hasan, near South Waziristan. On his way to South Waziristan, he passed several army convoys on the road. There has been no comment from the Pakistan military yet. The mobilisation came a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani held a meeting of the country's senior political and military leadership. Lengthy planning Recent militant attacks were seen as an attempt to divide public opinion, but they appear to have strengthened the resolve of the government, which says the Taliban must now be eliminated, our correspondent added. Pakistanis have fled the Afghan border region as troops move in The army has been massing troops near the militants' stronghold for months - ever since the governor of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province announced a ground offensive in South Waziristan on 15 June. Pakistan's government has been under considerable pressure from the US to tackle militancy there. North and South Waziristan form a lethal militant belt from where insurgents have launched attacks across north-west Pakistan as well as into parts of eastern Afghanistan. South Waziristan is considered to be the first significant sanctuary for Islamic militants outside Afghanistan since 9/11. It also has numerous training camps for suicide bombers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8311927.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Blaster Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 We should attack pakis and get ****heads Taliban on our side ASAP. JIHAD IS THE ANSWER! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rajiv Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 Looks like Cherry Burger bill is working Come to think if it, we can also give them some aid to u know STFU P.S This can backfire on Pakistan big time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowboysfan Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 We should attack pakis and get ****heads Taliban on our side ASAP. JIHAD IS THE ANSWER! this answers a lot of questions about you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnterTheVoid Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 What should India do ? Help the Taliban ? An enemy's enemy is a friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hiten. Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 What should India do ? Help the Taliban ? An enemy's enemy is a friend So we do the exact same mistake that they did. Brilliant :idea: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnterTheVoid Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 So we do the exact same mistake that they did. Brilliant :idea: Zia helped Sikh sepratists in the Khalistan movement. Different situation, or is it ? The Taliban keeps them pre occupied from attacking India. So ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnterTheVoid Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 My question is, what should India do ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowboysfan Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 My question is' date=' what should India do ? [/size'] nothing,.why are we obligated to get invovled in this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Blaster Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 this answers a lot of questions about you. You are seriously dumb if you think I was being serious. Or you are just mad because my team is better than the lil wussies you support..Either way:finger: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Blaster Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 My question is' date=' what should India do ? [/size'] Watch pakis kill pakis? It's not like pakistani army is going to get anywhere. You can't solve the problem without finding the core of the problem. Pakistan have no idea who are they dealing with here and they have no idea where these millitants get their support, supply, etc from. They dont even know who these guys are...Do the pakis really think they could just drive out the taliban just like that? Just look at what US and Nato forces achieved. People are claiming it as a make or break situation for pakistan but I only see it as a break situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punjabi_khota Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 My question is' date=' what should India do ? [/size'] Make sure we don't have a 'Lahore' by securing our borders and improving internal security. :lightbulb: Instead of spending bajillion dollars to buy the next hi-fi missile system which will never be used, we can spend 1000s of crores in bettering the internal security situation and also in turn provide employment to our ever-unemployed people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suraj Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Best of luck to Pakistan for success against Taliban Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 My question is' date=' what should India do ? [/size'] 1) Try to educate its fellow citizens to be civil and not feel a certain "happiness" about it all. 2) Utilize the time, and saved money and effort, to bump up its borders and tighten its security. 3) Lay low in regional politics and ensure not to create any problems for Pakistan as it battles the terrorists. 4) Take a lead on Afganistan and come up with better solution than USA-led coalition. Maybe root for a regional troops that would comprise soldiers from China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Middle East etc, instead of NATO/USA that is fuelling fire. xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seedhi Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 India should try to ensure that pakistan is mired in this conflict for a long long time (at least a decade) with as much pain as possible. It is an empirical fact that the Kashmir situation is much more easier whenever pakistan is weak and mired in its own conflict. Plus pakis should get a huge dose of their own medicine. Also, to make pakistans life difficult India should beef up its troop presence on the borders so that pakistanis cannot move their troops to fight the Taliban, thereby allowing the Taliban to slaughter pakistani troops with more ease. Actually the best possible scenario is a complete Taliban takeover of pakistan, and when that happens the US will definitely take away pakistans nukes - resulting in the ultimate goal of a nuke nude and a discredited pakistan wich will be an international pariah. Not to mention Kashmir will automatically be resolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Tendulkar Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 My question is' date=' what should India do ? [/size'] Just strenghen our borders and ensure security. Also keep internatinational pressure on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 India should try to ensure that pakistan is mired in this conflict for a long long time (at least a decade) with as much pain as possible. It is an empirical fact that the Kashmir situation is much more easier whenever pakistan is weak and mired in its own conflict. Plus pakis should get a huge dose of their own medicine. Also, to make pakistans life difficult India should beef up its troop presence on the borders so that pakistanis cannot move their troops to fight the Taliban, thereby allowing the Taliban to slaughter pakistani troops with more ease. Actually the best possible scenario is a complete Taliban takeover of pakistan, and when that happens the US will definitely take away pakistans nukes - resulting in the ultimate goal of a nuke nude and a discredited pakistan wich will be an international pariah. Not to mention Kashmir will automatically be resolved. And pigs will fly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Outsider Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 1) Try to educate its fellow citizens to be civil and not feel a certain "happiness" about it all. Check. 2) Utilize the time, and saved money and effort, to bump up its borders and tighten its security. Check. 3) Lay low in regional politics and ensure not to create any problems for Pakistan as it battles the terrorists. Disagree. India should always be wary of this "battle" and try to ensure it's fought to conclusion through international pressure. Left alone, Pakistan army and ISI will strike a deal with Taliban at some convenient time as they have done on many occasions in the past. 4) Take a lead on Afganistan and come up with better solution than USA-led coalition. Maybe root for a regional troops that would comprise soldiers from China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Middle East etc, instead of NATO/USA that is fuelling fire. xxx A resounding NO! No one can defeat the Afghans and it's foolhardy to attempt it. Guerilla warfare is deeply ingrained in them and they are bloody good at it. The opium supply will ensure that they are not going to run out of money ever and a non existent economy and fundamentalistic social structure means they are never going to run out of personnel. England and Russia found it out the hard way and America is doing so right now. Mind you, all three nations were superpowers when they ventured into a war with Afghanistan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champ Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 My question is' date=' what should India do ? [/size'] we dont have to do anything .. finally pakis are doing something good for mankind .. we just wait and watch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seedhi Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 And pigs will flyPigs flew in 1971, they can very well fly again. I say that Balochistan is a ripe target for a repeat of 1971. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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