Pakistani Forces Capture Strategic Town | Voice of America - English
Pakistani security forces say they have made significant gains in their ongoing offensive in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The two-month military operation in the Bajaur area, they say, has killed more than 1,500 militants while 73 soldiers also have died. VOA's Ayaz Gul reports from the border village of Loisam the Pakistani military reclaimed this week.
By taking the key settlement of Loisam inthe troubled north-western region, Pakistani military authorities saythey have dealt a severe blow to communication lines of militantslinked to al-Qaida and Taliban in the Bajaur region. The village wascompletely destroyed after heavy fighting. The operation in the region began in early August after several major attacks on the army. Thecommander of the ongoing operation in Bajaur, Major-General Tariq Khan,told a group of local and foreign reporters on Saturday that troopswere now in complete control of the town of Loisam. But he acknowledgedthe militants had been offering stiff resistance to his soldiers fromtheir network of tunnels and fortified compounds. "It was avery unusual kind of battle," said General Khan. "It was notconventional. The resistance would dissolve in places wherever we wouldattack. It would regroup and reappear in the rear. This was facilitatedby the underground tunnels that were made with caches of weapons thathad been stored and placed all over." Bajaur is one of thetribal areas on the Afghan border where the government has previouslyhad little influence. Taliban and al-Qaida raids into Afghanistan fromthis mountainous tribal region are regularly launched from here. GeneralKhan says that elimination of militants from this agency willdiscourage militancy in other tribal areas. "The worst is over and Ithink things from here onward will be much easier. In my personalfeeling, I think we have turned the corner," he said. ThePakistani government is also encouraging tribesmen to revivetraditional militias, known as lashkars, to rout out militants in theirareas. But General Khan rejected criticism that the militias could posea threat to Pakistani authority once the militants are evicted. He alsodenied media reports the government is providing the Lashkars withweapons. "We are not providing any weapons or any kind ofsupport to the lashkars [tribal militias] and they are made up withtheir own resources," said General Khan. "It dissolves after if has metits objectives." Pakistani authorities say that 300 foreignmilitants had been arrested during the offensive. Uzbeks, Tajiks andAfghans are among the detainees.