17 terrorists killed as troops close in on Shawal Valley

Jets destroy three militant hideouts on the edge of Afghan border

BANNU:

In a massive push to flush out the Taliban from their last stronghold in the mountainous north-western region of North Waziristan Agency, security forces killed at least 17 militants, including foreigners, in airstrikes in Shawal Valley on Friday.

Late Thursday night, military warplanes started targeting militant hideouts on the edge of the Afghan border in the thickly forested mountains in the Wareka Mandi area of Shawal Valley in North Waziristan, 65 kilometres west of its agency headquarters Miramshah.

Officials said three militant compounds were targeted in the airstrikes and almost all occupants were killed. Five vehicles were also destroyed.

The exact identity of the militants could not be ascertained as media personnel are not allowed in the area. Confirmation of official claims from independent sources is impossible.

The heavily forested ravines of Shawal Valley are pockmarked with Taliban hideouts and the valley itself is a key smuggling route into neighbouring Afghanistan.



Jets began bombing the valley in the early hours, killing between six and 15 militants, four intelligence sources told Reuters.

The Taliban controlled almost all of North Waziristan until the Pakistan Army launched a long-awaited offensive, codenamed Zarb-e-Azb, there in June last year. The Taliban still maintain control of Shawal Valley and have used it as a launch pad for attacks on security forces.

Residents said tanks and soldiers were approaching the valley from the north and south.

“Hundreds of trucks and pickups full of soldiers and weapons... are moving towards Shawal,” said Zainullah, a telephone operator in Shawal Valley. “There are roadblocks everywhere, no one can come in or go out. There is a complete curfew and phones lines are also being cut.”

Another resident said there had been heavy fighting between the militants and the military on the edge of the valley and civilians feared being trapped. “We are now preparing to leave the area and shift to safe places because last night artillery shells were fired continuously,” he said.

Several military officials told Reuters the military had requested help from Afghanistan to prevent militants from fleeing over the border. Any cooperation would be a significant step forward in a thaw in relations that began when Afghan President Ashraf Ghani took office last year. Neither the Pakistani nor the Afghan military responded to requests for comment.

Land dispute

At least 55 people have been killed in armed clashes between two rival tribes in an ongoing dispute over a mountain continuing since May 8. A curfew has been imposed in the area, affecting the routine activities of tribesmen. The injured tribesmen are being shifted to Afghanistan’s Khost province, which borders with North and South Waziristan.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2015.