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| People fear fresh operation as FC abandons forts in SWA |
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Friday, August 01, 2008
By Mushtaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR: After the militants-dominated Bajaur tribal region, paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) Thursday abandoned their strategically-located military forts in the Mahsuds-inhabited areas of South Waziristan Agency, triggering rumours that a fresh major military operation either by Pakistan army or by the Nato forces against Baitullah-led militants was in the offing.
Tribal sources told The News that the FC personnel deserted their positions in Ladha and Saam areas, considered as strongholds of Baitullah Mahsud-led tribal militants. Also, the sources said the force vacated the British-era Ladha Fort, which was built in 1932 and housed hundreds of soldiers.
In the recent past, militants had made several botched attempts to capture the strategically-located Ladha Fort. According to sources, the troops had started shifting to a military base situated in the picturesque Razmak town of adjoining North Waziristan tribal agency.
“Around 25 trucks had been sent to Ladha to transport troops and ammunition to Razmak military base. The troops would abandon the fort today (Friday),” said an official of political administration, but pleaded anonymity.
Similarly, the sources said all the FC posts in Saam area of South Waziristan were vacated and the FC personnel were called back. Citing reason behind vacating the fort and other important positions in the Mahsuds-dominated areas, the official said the authorities had been facing tremendous hardships while sending supplies for the troops in the fort.
The move has sent a wave of concern among the already-suffered Mahsud tribespeople who feared that the action could be government’s strategy to launch a decisive and major military operation against Baitullah Mahsud and his all-powerful militants.
Though a senior FC official has argued that the fort has been vacated to convert it into hospital, the residents suspected the act, saying a civil hospital some 10 kilometres from the fort already existed there.
“If the government wanted to ensure better healthcare facilities to the tribes people, it should strengthen the already built Civil Hospital, Ladha,” said a local elder Malik Shah Was Mahsud while talking to The News from Tank.
He said the government approached “Dre Mahsud” or three Mahsud tribes, including Manzai, Balolzai and Shaman Khel and called their elders to Tank where they were asked to make a demand to the government for a hospital in Ladha.
“We suspected that something was going on as to why a hospital should be demanded when the government had already built one that had no facilities for the people,” remarked the tribal elder.
He said instead of giving them another hospital, the government should build a cadet college as announced by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in South Waziristan. He said there were fears among the people that the government was planning another major military operation against militants in the region which it had lost to Baitullah Mahsud.
Meanwhile, TTP central spokesman Maulvi Omar said like Bajaur, they would capture the vacated FC forts and posts in South Waziristan. “Look I am talking to you from Badan Kot post which the government had vacated. We will definitely capture all those posts vacated by the FC in Ladha and Saam,” Omar claimed.
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briefs...
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ISSN 1563-9479 
