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| Major offensive launched in Lower Dir |
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Monday, April 27, 2009
26 militants, two FC men killed; Taliban accuse govt of violating peace deal
By Nisar Mahmood & By Nisar Mahmood &
zxTIMERGARA: The security forces killed 26 militants in a military operation launched on Sunday morning in the Maidan area of Lower Dir district.
Two personnel of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) were also killed and a major was among the four injured in an ambush in Maidan, the native area of the banned Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad.
The FC sources claimed that the operation, which was launched in the morning and continued till the evening, resulted in the death of 26 militants. “The forces have found 26 bodies of militants,” the sources said. Other military sources put the number of militants’ casualties at 21.
The FC sources also claimed to have gained control of Lal Qila, where a major action was taken against the militants, headed by Commander Hafizullah. The dead also included Maulvi Shahid, a prominent militant commander.
The exchange of heavy fire between the law-enforcing agencies and the militants continued the whole day in Lal Qila, Kala Dag and other parts of Maidan. Gunship helicopters also targeted the hideouts of militants, killing and injuring a number of them.
Army helicopters airlifted the FC personnel on hilltops on Saturday while armoured personnel carriers (APCs) were seen moving towards the area late Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
The military buildup in Islam Dara, Sar Lara, Odigram and Kalpani had already been completed while residents said on Saturday four to five choppers flew over the areas, including Kolal Patay, Zaimdara and Kalpani, a stronghold of the militants.
The militants also took positions over the hilltops to resist the operation. Sources said the clashes started after the militants ambushed the security forces convoy at Kala Dag that was heading towards Maidan and killed a Chitral Scouts Jawan and injured four others who, according to sources, were shifted to Peshawar. One of them, a Subedar, later succumbed to his injuries.
Earlier, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the operation was launched on the request of the NWFP government and the local population to rid the area of the militants who were threatening the peace of Lower Dir and Upper Dir districts.
Maidan, the native town of Sufi Muhammad, has been tense since long but the situation worsened after an increase in kidnapping incidents, especially the killing of District Police Officer (DPO) Khurshid Khan and Koto Union Councilís Nazim Alamzeb Khan. Those kidnapped in the recent past included DCO of Upper Dir Atifur Rahman, Sardar Abdul Hakeem, advocate, his son, a bank manager and scores of others.
Meanwhile, roads leading towards the area remained blocked and phone service suspended since early morning. Educational institutions in Maidan were closed for an indefinite period. The district administration also clamped curfew on Timergara, the district headquarters of Lower Dir.
The armed clashes between the security forces and militants continued the till filing of this report. Both the sides were using heavy weapons.
Dir had so far been calm and peaceful and it is the maiden military operation in the area. Meanwhile, the Jamaat-e-Islami took out a rally to protest against the military operation. Led by the party district Amir and former MNA Ahmad Ghafoor Ghawas, the protesters marched from Ahya-ul-Uloom Balambat to Timergara Bazaar.
Addressing the protest rally, JI leaders called for an immediate halt to the operation, alleging that the military operation was being carried out to appease the US. They also asked elected public representatives of the district to prevail upon the government to stop the military operation.
Online adds: A spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Dir chapter, said that the military operation in Dir was unjustified and against the Swat peace deal. Talking to a private TV channel, Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, the TTP spokesman for Dir, said the Taliban would retaliate to the security forces with full force.
The government, he said, has no intention to ensure the implementation of the Swat peace deal. ìWe have not violated the deal and, therefore, the operation is unjustified,î he said. He said the Taliban would attack those who had ordered operation against them in Dir.
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briefs...
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ISSN 1563-9479 
