Zahid Hussain, Islamabad | May 14
HUNDREDS of Pakistani commandos were dropped by helicopter into a mountainous Taliban stronghold in the Swat district yesterday as the army shifted tactics to root out the militants' top commanders.
It was the first time such forces had been involved in fighting since the military offensive began in the valley more than a week ago. "It signifies a major shift in the fighting," chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said.
Members of the counter-insurgency force landed behind the front line in the Piochar region, about 60km from Mingora, the main city in the Swat Valley.
The greater involvement of ground troops could bring higher army casualties - a major concern for Pakistan's military command, which restrained past efforts in Swat in order to avoid that outcome. Government troops have been using heavy artillery, helicopter gunships and fighter jets.
Previous military action has tended to peter out without the capture or deaths of leading insurgents. Past stalemates brought criticism, particularly from the country's American allies, that the army was not pursuing the Taliban hard enough. This time, Pakistani leaders say, the army will not rest until it has wiped out all militants.
The offensive has won praise even from the US. According to the Pakistani officials, there are about 5000 Taliban militants fighting 15,000 regular government troops in what is being described as the biggest counter-insurgency operation that Pakistan has undertaken since 2001.
Piochar, 3050m above sea level, is regarded as the main base for the militants. "The troops have surrounded the terrorist camps and are closing in on the militants' command centre," General Abbas said. Among them, the general said, was Mullah Fazalullah, the leader of the Swat insurgency, and some of his top commanders. "Our main strategy is to block the free movement of the militants and eliminate the entire leadership."
The army claims that 751 militants have been killed in Swat and neighbouring districts so far, with29 soldiers dead. But the figures could not be verified independently.
Government forces have been using heavy air and ground bombardment to pound Taliban positions but this has forced hundreds of thousands of residents to flee the area.
The Government launched a full-scale assault on Swat and the surrounding districts last week after Taliban militants tried to extend their influence to areas only 110km from the capital, Islamabad, on the back of a peace deal that handed them control of the Swat Valley. Read More......
Source: The Australian
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