A file photo of Pakistani F-16 jets. PHOTO: PPI
Fighter jets targeted militant hideouts in the Mamozai are of Upper Orakzai.
According to sources, five hideouts were destroyed in the attack.
Earlier on February 6, eight suspected militants were killed in a similar raid. It was the fifth such attack on militants this year. According to security forces, the previous four air raids killed around 38 militants, while 11 hideouts were destroyed. However, the exact figures are difficult to verify.
Strategic importance of Orakzai Agency
Orakzai Agency is strategically an important area. Covering an area of 700 square miles, the agency shares its borders with Kurram and Khyber agencies, Hangu district and Kohat, Darra Adamkhel.
It is the only agency among seven that does not share a border with Afghanistan. Its estimated population is 450,000. Since 2010, most of the agency was believed to be a safe haven for local and foreign militants, but security forces launched an operation to eliminate them. The operation is still continuing.
Around 97% of the agency has been reclaimed from militants.
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@Adnan Siddiqi: You have failed to notice that I have mentioned US offer to conduct COIN type of coordinated operations on both sides of border involving both countries which was unacceptable to the military. The operations against Taliban were flawed right from its launching as the military ordered evacuation of the civilian population but the militants too took advantage by melting away into safe havens and with their cadres and fighting machinery still intact came back to the areas liberated by the army and continued their killing spree. The military did not consolidate its gains by occupying the area but left it to be defended by local militia who were too weak and ill-equipped to defend. Such strategy is self-defeating and not employed by any professional army fighting a motivated terrorist outfit like Taliban and I do have some field experience in CI ops to make this statement.
@Enlightened:
COIN can only be successful when the conflict is localized into one particular territory. The problem here is that the supply lines of these militants run all the way back into Afghanistan through the porous Durand Line. These militants are hammered into oblivion by our security forces and their residuals fall back across the border only to rearm, regroup and then cross-over to inflict more mayhem. Naturally, our security forces do not have the mandate nor the will to go into a hot pursuit of these militants.
I agree that air power is of little or no value in assymmetric warfare and our military planners need to carefully study the Rhodesian Bush War which centered around strategic deployment of specialized combat soldiers who relied heavily on para drops and swift helicopter assaults near the theater of operations.
I am all for this air-power to deter the terrorists. Sure, few innocents, though strictly they are not that innocent after allowing and associating with terrorists, will be killed. Best option would have been to combine forces with USA and take out the terrorists. But, some action is better than nothing. You just cannot give away the country. Few repeated strong actions, the talibans will surrender and justify their surrender by quoting some example from Koran / hadith. I would really love to see names of some of the leaders of extremist religious organizations appearing in the list of missing persons.
@TightPatloon: I think both is killing without due process of law under suspicion. But PAF is operating under its jurisdiction whereas drones are not.
@SAL:
Bro, ET was kind enough to make amends after its attention was drawn towards this discrepancy. Its was an image of A-5 which was pasted earlier.
Aerial bombardment is totally ineffective against both terrorism and counter-insurgency. The Americans carpet bombed and even used chemicals in North Vietnam but failed miserably and the same failed to yield any positive results in Afghanistan as well. India has never used air-power in Kashmir or NE but conducts only ground operations with positive results. Only drones are partially successful which Pakistan do not possess. Coordinated ground operations employing COIN tactics against militants is the only answer which Americans offered to conduct jointly but the same was strangely rejected by the military. Pak military needs to change its strategy on priority as Taliban is inflicting heavy civil and military casualties resulting in anarchy type situation in the whole country.
@Adnan Siddiqi: Look closely at the intake, exhaust and the canopy it is 100% F16's
No comment, As it is internal Matter of Pakistan.
Unleashing as indiscriminate a weapon as aerial bombardment on ones own civilian population is simply indefensible Civilised democratic civilian led nations simply do not do it.
It behoves Pakistan to forthwith follow the example of India and eschew the use of air power in combatting terrorism within its own borders as India is doing in Jammu and Kashmir.
Everybody knows that these raids are just blind number games. Though not justified, but drones are far more precise than these raids.
Look at the proud Pakistani planes in the above photograph; returning to base after completing a successful mission of bombing and killing its own citizens. The PAF is the only air force in the world to have this high-tech capability.
Hundreds of militants have been claimed to be killed in aerial bombardment without any verification which is totally farce.
ET!!!! Please revamp your research and editorial team!!! The file photo consists of A-5 Fantan Attack aircraft which have been retired from PAF since last year. One could easily find images of F-16 and JF-17 on the web which are taking part in the air campaign against WOT in the tribal areas.
how can you kill somebody for suspicion?
So when PAF kills people they are all militants and when drones kill they are all civilians?