Insurgents putting up a tough fight in Waziristan operation, analysts say
Pakistan’s offensive in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan has met with significant resistance from insurgents, who have retaken one large town, targeted military vehicles with roadside bombs and held off the army’s attack helicopters with antiaircraft fire, U.S. military analysts said Friday.
The heavy fighting has slowed the advance of an estimated 36,000 to 40,000 Pakistani troops into the heart of the contested tribal region bordering Afghanistan, according to a detailed briefing on the week-old ground operation by researchers at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a Washington think tank. Meanwhile, the report said, insurgents continue to coordinate suicide bombings and assassinations outside Waziristan.
But the large government force, aided by U.S. drone strikes and intelligence, outnumbers the insurgents and is expected to maintain its methodical, three-pronged push in an attempt to capture key territory held by the umbrella group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan in the tribal stronghold of slain insurgent leader Baitullah Mehsud. [continued…]
As a novel writer and long term follower of military history, I’d like to know how the Washington Post squares this report of significant resistance with today’s Pakistani news reports of relatively low casualties. How do they respond to veteran and well connected Asia Times correspondent’s report that large numbers of fighters took advantage of the long warning to leave S. Waziristan? Already the insurgents are filtering back into the Swat valley.
The Pakistani military appear to be conducting a careful PR exercise here to raise their popular support — to what end? They are clearly at odds with the US puppet Zadari, who is also held in contempt by large groups of the population. One supposes the Post will be astounded if he is thrown out of office by another military coup, but it would be a valuable lesson to the arrogant US establishment who think not only murder from the air can be conducted from afar.