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Saturday, June 20, 2009
Daily updates from military spokesmen tell us of casualties on both sides and the location of some operations in the preceding twenty-four hours. They are never accompanied by contemporary footage, a map or any supporting documentation – NIC of some of the dead Taliban for instance. We are now 54 days into the Swat battle, with Dir and Buner still active combat zones and Waziristan moving into the foreground as the site of a major engagement. We are told that at least 1,400 militants have been killed alongside 120 of our own soldiers. There is never mention of civilian casualties – the 'collateral damage' – despite ample anecdotal evidence from IDPs that civilians have died as a result of the actions of our army. No independent verification of the figures delivered daily has been made, and the media – apart from some carefully choreographed reports from Mingora – are excluded from the battle. The numbers of Taliban dead seem improbably high given that they fight in less-than-platoon sized units and are highly mobile. 'Hideouts' are reportedly 'cleared out' everyday – but have we ever seen a picture of one of these 'hideouts' immediately after it was 'cleared'? Does nobody in the military have access to a camera?
Because there is no independent verification we – nor anybody else – are in a position to challenge the statements we receive daily, but there is one question that unless it is answered, and verifiably answered and soon, is going to mean that all this effort and death and displacement may be for naught. Simply – why have we not killed or captured a single member of the top brass of the Taliban? Unless the two vultures at the top of the tree – Baitullah Mehsud and Fazlullah of Swat – are taken down then the Taliban are going to live to fight another day. The usually-reliable blog 'The long war' reported several days ago that Fazlullah had decamped to Afghanistan. A commentator on a private TV channel speaking on June 18 doubted this for the simple reason that he would lose all credibility with his followers in Swat if he did/had. Of Mehsud there is not even 'reliable rumour' as to his whereabouts. Killing or capturing either is going to be dependent on electronic or human intelligence, as huge financial rewards have produced nothing thus far nor are likely to. Our best chance of snuffing the candle of either lies in the splits that appear to be opening in the Taliban ranks as the pressure mounts. Unless and until these men are caught or killed the war we fight now will continue for a year or even more. And when they are caught or killed we want to see them – dead or alive – because nothing less will satisfy.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
