Eight soldiers, 12 militants die in checkpoint attack

Over 100 militants armed with rockets storm security post in South Waziristan.


Iftikhar Firdous June 10, 2011

PESHAWAR:


More than 100 militants armed with rockets attacked a security check post in Makeen area of South Waziristan Agency on Thursday, triggering gun battles that left eight soldiers dead and injured seven others. Twelve militants were also killed and five were injured in retaliation, confirmed an official in Peshawar.


“The attack took place at the Marobi check post after midnight,” said the official. “Dozens of militants, taking advantage of the night, attacked the check post in Mehsud territory,” he added. However, the exact number of the militants could not be ascertained.

Local sources said that the battle lasted more than three hours, after which security officials launched a search operation in the area.

It was for the second time in a week that scores of militants besieged a check post in the tribal belt, underscoring the scale of the threat that Taliban and al Qaeda-linked extremists pose to security forces.

Last week, the Taliban staged a similar attack in the northwest, and officials said up to 400 militants took part.

“The militants were carrying rockets and heavy weapons and attacked the check post shortly after midnight,” an intelligence official in Waziristan told Reuters, describing the latest attack.

“This was expected,” said Col (retd) Khalid Munir, an expert on the geography of the area. “The area was previously like a ghost town, but since the return of the displaced people, the military will have to take necessary steps to stop such   attacks,” he added.

The attack came on the heels of a flurry of missile strikes by US drone aircraft in the tribal region.

Intelligence officials say there has been an escalation of drone strikes in South Waziristan because militants have been fleeing there following speculation that the army plans an offensive in North Waziristan. The Taliban have intensified attacks across the country in recent weeks to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden by US Special Forces in Abbottabad on May 2.

The attack appeared to be part of a new strategy by the Taliban of staging large-scale assaults on military and government targets in a bid to demoralise the army.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM AGENCIES

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10th, 2011.

COMMENTS (34)

Bala | 12 years ago | Reply Statement from PaK Army - "The Afgan Freedom fighers used suprior tatcis and element of surprise. Our Army cannot take on all of them..." "And we warn INDIA, PAK Army is powerful and we can give decisive blow to INIDA, we have identified the Indian targets...but North Warizstan is too huge and we cannot open another front there...there is no need since NW is calm and peaceful ...we will fight there only if writ of the Army is challengd"
Mirza | 12 years ago | Reply @FactCheck: Guys take a chill pill. I was kidding and repeating what naive right wing people say. Still I did not call terrorists brothers, only Pakistani brothers. I have been waging a jehad against the injustices and Islamic terrorist and their supporters like army and ISI. Cheers
VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ