Posted on 11/01/2009 9:08:31 AM PST by NormsRevenge
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistani forces are zeroing in on two major Taliban bases in South Waziristan region as their offensive pushes deeper into militant bastion on the Afghan border, the military said on Sunday.
The army launched a major assault in South Waziristan on September 17 to seize control of the lawless land after a string of attacks by militants, including a stunning assault on the army headquarters that killed more than 150 people.
The offensive is a major test for the Pakistani government and the military to stem the rising tide of Islamist militancy and is being closely followed by the United States and other Western nations embroiled in Afghanistan's growing conflict.
The military says an "important phase" of its three-pronged offensive has begun as troops had reached the outskirts of Sararogha and Makeen, two main bases of the militants in treacherous mountainous terrain.
Makeen is described as "the nerve center" of the militants while Sararogha, about 20 km (13 miles) southeast of Makeen, houses a strategic fort manned by a paramilitary force until it was captured by the Taliban last year after killing several soldiers and taking dozens hostage.
"Security forces have surrounded Makeen from three directions," the military said in a statement.
Security officials said military jets and helicopter gunships pounded militant positions in and around Makeen during the battle.
The military says government forces have laid siege to Sararogha, captured all the important features and ridges overlooking the town and cleared half of Kaniguram, a hub of Uzbek militants.
Nine militants and two soldiers were killed during Sunday's fighting, the military said, taking the militants' death toll to 331 in 16 days of fighting.
Thirty-eight soldiers have been killed, according to army estimates, although .. journalists have been barred from visiting the war zone.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Residents gather on the rubble of a girls' school in Bara in Pakistan's troubled Khyber Agency located in North West Frontier Province, after it was destroyed early morning November 1, 2009. Suspected militants blew up a government school for girls in Bara tehsil, injuring four people on Sunday, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported. REUTERS/Stringer (PAKISTAN POLITICS CONFLICT CRIME LAW)
Send Richard Dawkins, the famous athiest, to Pakistan to condemn the violent tendencies of Islam /sarc
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C) is escorted by Pakistani Rangers at the Iqbal's Mausoleum in Lahore October 29, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer
The Taliban are so entrenched, we have a difficult task.
Hillary should shut her mouth. She's about as diplomatic as a snake.
Pakistan is reaping what it tolerated...
Perhaps for a new coalition put together by his brilliant leadership skills we hear so much about, for the final thrust against the Taliban?
What’s so hard to figure out?
I think it is absolutely wrong for her to wear a scarf. She’s an American...and and certainly not a Muslim. It’s their culture for their people.
What I like about this is that they are proving Shrillary wrong about Pakistan, and she has been wrong all along. Wrong about Israel, too.
Now I just wish she were wrong about “taxing everything that moves”.
The Talibahn’s main base in in DC!
Hillary is a pussy cat, a shrinking violet. Ask Bill.
Maybe she should throw an ashtray at the Taliban.
If so, the Pakistani Army should send crack commandos to attack the WH in DC.
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