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WEEKLY
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| Waziristan operation |
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Saturday, October 24, 2009
Troops advance towards militants’ strongholds
By Irfan Burki & Daud Khattak
WANA/PESHAWAR: Fierce fighting was reported from the Sherwangai area in South Waziristan Agency as troops started their advance towards the militants’ strongholds on the Shakai-Ladha axis on Friday, the seventh day of the operation Rah-e-Nijat.
The Army claimed killing 13 militants, raising the casualty toll of the Taliban to 142 since October 17. However, the Taliban said only three of their men were killed since the launch of the operation. Claims from both sides could not be confirmed.
After three days of fighting, security forces were seen in full control of Sherwangai, its surrounding heights and the nearby village of Chalweshtai where troops had been deployed on the mountain peaks to avoid militants’ attacks from different directions, sources said.
Security forces will advance on Kaniguram, Sam, Karwan Sar, Asman Manja and Ladha, all said to be mountainous areas and strongholds of the militants, who had retreated from the plains to mountains and forests after the launch of the operation.
Tribesmen said the capture of Sherwangai and Chalweshtai had strengthened the troops’ position in the area, but the next important step was the seizure of Karwan Sar mount and Asman Manja, which would ensure strategic dominance for security forces and facilitate their advance and siege of Karama, Delay, Moshay, Jalandhar, Kokatkhel, Nano and other areas.
Asman Manja is a plain area on a hilltop spreading over several kilometres where security forces will be able to land helicopters for bringing reinforcements and shifting soldiers as well as keeping a watch on the surrounding areas for any hostile activity. The area is located around 10 kilometres from Chalweshtai, which is already under the control of security forces.
Fighter jets and artillery targeted suspected militants positions in Mashta, Ragh, Sam, Srarogha, Penga, Ladha and Makeen areas, but there are no reports about casualties. A statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that 13 militants and two soldiers were killed in clashes and rocket fire in and around Kotkai, Sherwangai and Chalweshtai areas. Seven soldiers suffered injuries in the fighting.
The ISPR said one soldier and seven militants were killed and two soldiers injured during an engagement around Kotkai while another soldier and six Uzbek militants were killed in the fighting around the Sherwangai area. Five more soldiers sustained injuries.
The military statement said one Vickers machine gun, one rocket launcher, along with three rockets, two Kalashnikov rifles, along with 300 rounds, one sniper rifle, one hand-grenade, two walkie-talkie sets and books in Uzbek language were also recovered.
According to the ISPR, 142 militants and 20 soldiers have been killed since October 17. Another 56 soldiers suffered injuries while the troops arrested six suspected militants during the operation. The Taliban confirmed the killing of only three of their men in the past one week.
Talking to reporters from an undisclosed location by phone, the outlawed TTP spokesman, Azam Tariq, said only three of their colleagues had been killed since the launch of the military operation. He claimed that six innocent tribesmen had also been killed during the past seven days.
Azam Tariq warned the media outlets not to present one side of the picture. This is the second time in the past one week that the militants’ spokesman is complaining about the media’s ‘partial’ coverage of the Waziristan operation.
A similar warning was issued by the spokesman in his phone call to a tribal journalist four days ago. He warned the Taliban would target media organisations if they failed to stick to the principles of independent journalism.
Almost all media offices in Peshawar and Islamabad have already upgraded their security after the first warning from the militants about a week ago. The ISPR statement did not mention the casualties and material losses suffered by civilians in artillery shelling and bombing by fighter planes and helicopters.
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CJ says good governance being compromised
By Sohail Khan
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Tuesday that good governance is being compromised as it is believed that the administration of justice is the sole duty of courts or the legal fratern more |
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Hakimullah dies of wounds in Multan?
By Mushtaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR: Reports about the death of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud once again started circulating on Tuesday and this time it was being reported that the militant commander had succumb more |
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MNAs seek solution to Sindh-Punjab water rift
ISLAMABAD: Members of the National Assembly on Tuesday urged for the resolution of the water crisis between Punjab and Sindh, failing which would lead to serious repercussions for the country.
Yousuf Tal more |
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Good governance hinges on change in national behaviour: PM
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that change in the collective behaviour of the nation is necessary for the promotion of good governance. He said that his government believed in streng more |
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NIC made mandatory to get sugar from USC outlets
ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Tuesday made it mandatory to produce national identity cards to get a pack of 2kg sugar from the USC outlets.
The ECC met here unde more |
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Three provinces to hold LG polls in four months
By Hanif Khalid & Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: A high level meeting here on Tuesday at the Aiwan-e-Sadr decided that the chief ministers of Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan would hold local government elections in four months.
President Asif Al more |
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Senators condemn attack on Sh Rashid
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Senators on Tuesday strongly condemned the murder attempt on Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members advised Sheikh Rashid to stop more |
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PIA obliges religiously; latest being religious minister
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), facing a mind-boggling loss of about Rs70billion, has quietly upgraded two seats of Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi and his wife fr more |
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A brigadier without brigade has a history of thrashing
By Umar Cheema
ISLAMABAD: The basher-brigadier of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), who assaulted his professor colleague late Thursday, has a long list of such incidents on his credit as his resume is sprin more |
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PAC settles drought money misuse
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: A special committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) probing misuse of drought funds worth million of rupees on Tuesday conveniently settled majority of charges against deputy auditor general o more |
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NA-55 by-polls
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has urged all the political parties, including the PML-N, to withdraw from the NA-55 by-polls in favour of Sheikh Rashid.
“ more |
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Point scoring be avoided in Rashid attack case: Shahbaz
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the Rawalpindi incident on Monday had grieved every Pakistani.
He said a joint investigation team comprising federal and provincial agencies including I more |
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SC moved against delay in judges’ appointment
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court was moved on Tuesday against the government’s delay in the appointment of judges in the apex court and was prayed for directing the government to perform its constitutional duty by more |
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‘74 killed in Bajaur operation’
By Hasbanullah Khan
KHAR: Security forces claimed to have killed 74 militants and injured 54 others and wrested the strategically important hilltops and areas from the insurgents during the weeklong military operation in the Mamon more |
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Afghan unrest kills US, French soldiers
KABUL: A US and French soldiers were killed in attacks in southern and eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the alliance said.
The US service member was killed in an improvised bomb blast in southern Afghanis more |
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Army called in for today’s Lakki by-election
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The government has requisitioned the services of the Pakistan Army to augment the police and civil security forces for conducting the NWFP Assembly by-election on PF-75 Lakki Marwat for which polling more |
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Meeting discusses political issues
ISLAMABAD: A meeting held here at the presidency on Tuesday and presided over jointly by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani discussed political and development issues in the N more |
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Rashid accuses PML-N of promoting criminal culture
ISLAMABAD: Head of Awami Muslim League, Sheikh Rashid, on Tuesday criticised the PML-N-led Punjab government for promoting criminal culture in Rawalpindi and the province.
Talking to a private TV channel more |
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Briefs...
Over 64 dead in Afghan avalanches
KABUL: At least 24 bodies have been recovered and 40 other people are feared dead after avalanches swept vehicles into a ravine and trapped cars in a mountain pass overn more |
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ISSN 1563-9479 
