Posted on 10/26/2008 12:05:02 AM PDT by fishhound
LOI SAM, Pakistan (Oct. 25) - A two-month offensive by Pakistani forces has driven militants from a stronghold through which Taliban and al-Qaida fighters had poured into neighboring Afghanistan to attack U.S. troops, the army said Saturday. But operation claimed the lives of at least 95 civilians — whose deaths are a critical issue here that observers warn can only increases sympathy for the militants. The military said its forces captured Loi Sam in the Bajur tribal region Friday after a long and bloody struggle. The town sits on a vital intersection linking the border to three neighboring Pakistan regions. "Now we have complete control in this area from where miscreants used to go to Afghanistan, Mohmand, Dir and Swat," army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told reporters flown in to Bajur by military helicopter. "Miscreants have been expelled or killed." Bajur is part of Pakistan's tribal belt that has become the stronghold of Taliban and al-Qaida fighters waging an intensifying insurgency on both sides of the border. The army offensive in Bajur was launched in early August, after government officials declared it a "mega-sanctuary" for militants who had set up a virtual mini-state, complete with Taliban-style courts. U.S. officials worried about record fatalities among their forces in Afghanistan have praised the operation and said it was helping reduce violence on the Afghan side. But the Americans have not halted missile strikes on suspected militants hide-outs in other parts of Pakistan's wild border region, despite Islamabad's protests that the attacks violate its sovereignty.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.aol.com ...
The Obamacorns and the DNC aren’t going to be happy about this.
Exactly. Months ago, all residents of Loi Sam in the Bajur tribal region were told, "If you are not terrorists or terrorist sympathizers, leave this area."
That well publicized notice created a virtual "free fire zone". Only enemy are in the area.
yitbos
BOOM
Hopefully the people living in that region will come to realize that AQ isn’t their friend. Harboring terrorists is a risky business.
“A two-month offensive by Pakistani forces has driven militants from a stronghold through which Taliban and al-Qaida fighters had poured into neighboring Afghanistan to attack U.S. troops...”
The Barack Osama and the Demo Socialists in Congress are very sad about this.
Terrorists use civilians as human shields.........that is why there are civilian deaths is because the terrorists are beneath contempt and use civilians as human shields
That's a lot of dead terrorists!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.