OP-ED: Reconsidering a Military Solution in Waziristan

There is little doubt that the issue of foreign militants using Pakistani territory for launching operations against a neighbouring country has to be addressed

Serious differences between the United States and Pakistan seem to be emerging over the ‘hammer and anvil’ strategy that had been elaborated by the US recently to confront, capture or eliminate Al Qaeda and allied Taliban elements in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The US and the Karzai government sought military action from Pakistan to flush out militants in the area so that they would be pushed into Afghanistan where the US military would take over the operation. The ultimate prize, on the eve of US elections, would be Osama Bin Laden.

For Pakistan, it seemed more a matter of going along while taking care of a destabilising element within its borders. The estimate of foreign militants who had taken refuge in the area was close to 400 including Uzbeks and Chechens. After days of bloody fighting in which more than 150 persons are estimated to have died on both sides no militants of note could be captured. If there were indeed high-value targets in the area, they made their escape fairly early either because of better intelligence or greater familiarity with the terrain or possibly both.

Under a deal between the military and the wanted tribesmen led by Nek Muhammad the militants would surrender, register with the authorities, give an assurance that they would not use the area as a springboard for operations inside Afghanistan and the tribes would stand surety for their good conduct. After the surrender ceremony near Wana on Saturday involving Nek Muhammad and his men on the one hand and the Peshawar Corps Commander Lt.-General Safdar Hussain on the other, the initial deadline of April 30th was extended by a week and the second one is due to expire today. No surrenders by the militants had taken place at the time of writing but even if this comes to pass, making the agreement stick will take some doing.

Nek Muhammad has already said that he surrendered to no one. He was at the meeting with his armed guards and the military commander came to his area, not the other way round. The government seems to have re-thought its earlier strategy in light of the high loss of lives on both sides coupled with the little headway made in terms of the objectives of the operation.

For the United States, however, the re-think is problematic. Lt.-General David Barno, commander of the American forces in Afghanistan, has made clear that the US is unhappy with the truce: ‘There are foreign fighters in those tribal areas who will have to be killed or captured,’ he declared, emphasising that a ‘significant’ number were using the area as a base. He went on to express concern that things could ‘go in the wrong direction’.

A similar statement had been made not too far back by the US ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad about Pakistan not doing enough to support the US in its ‘war on terrorism’. Meanwhile, the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has also pointed out that Pakistan’s approach to the militants is counterproductive and would encourage the militants. Karzai has to worry about the elections in Afghanistan, once postponed, scheduled for later this year.

The scenario is further complicated by the Bush administration’s insistence that elections in Afghanistan be held prior to the US presidential elections due in November. The problem is obvious. The occupation of Iraq has gone badly wrong for the US. The number of US troops killed in Iraq has risen steadily after President Bush flew to an aircraft carrier to declare ‘mission accomplished’. Iraq is simply not going to add up to the foreign policy success that the White House had chalked up in those heady days. So, Afghanistan has become important again and regained US attention.

More recently, matters in Iraq have become even worse as images of prisoners being tortured by US and British troops have been flashed around the world. This exposes most starkly the vile underside of US occupation and all the claims of introducing democracy to Iraq begin to sound even less credible. The opposition is likely to intensify.

All of which pushes Afghanistan centre-stage for the Bush administration as it moves towards the November elections. It may not be a coincidence that on the same day that General Barno expressed his displeasure at the deal in South Waziristan, there was an incursion by US soldiers across the Pakistan border. The government has lodged a protest with the US while claiming that the incursion was inadvertent. But it could well be a thinly veiled warning to Pakistan that if it does not move against the militants the US forces based in Afghanistan could come across the border in ‘hot pursuit’ to do the job themselves. Either way, if the fighting begins again and casualties run high, the repercussions for Pakistan could be serious. It is imperative, therefore, that the deal having been made is now seen to work.

In a curious decision, more reliance seems to have been placed on the MMA in putting the deal together while bypassing in large measure the political administration of the area. Given the situation on the ground they may need to be brought back into the loop. There is little doubt that the issue of foreign militants using Pakistani territory for launching operations against a neighbouring country has to be addressed. Among other things, it renders Pakistan vulnerable. But there is little doubt that miscalculations have been made in the timing and conduct of the operation. Now that the government has opted for a negotiation track it should give it time to work and not be pushed into resuming military action unless it is clear that the other side is not sticking to the deal.

well, well what do we have here, a German convert!
http://www.dawn.com/2004/05/20/top6.htm

Five foreign militants arrested in Peshawar: German held in Fata

By Shafiq Ahmad & Zulfiqar Ali

PESHAWAR, May 19: Intelligence agencies, in an operation on Tuesday-Wednesday night, arrested from Sultan Colony five foreign militants who had escaped during the Pakistan Army operation in the South Waziristan tribal area.

Members of intelligence agencies, accompanied by Crimes Investigation Department personnel, raided a house in Sultan Colony, Dalazak Road, at 2am and arrested two Arabs, two ethnic Uzbeks and an Afghan and recovered detonators and timers from their possession, sources in security agencies told Dawn.

The sources said that two armed personal carriers (APCs) were also stationed in the area to cope with any untoward situation, but none of these foreign militants had put up any resistance during their arrest.

"The security agencies had to break open the main gate to enter the house as inmates were not opening it despite several knocks," they added. "The arrested men have links with foreign militants living in South Waziristan Agency," a high-placed source said.

"One is a Saudi national and the other Arab is a Kuwaiti," the source said. However, it was not confirmed whether the two Uzbeks were nationals of Uzbekistan or ethnic Uzbeks living in the northern parts of Afghanistan.

"Their real names are yet to be ascertained as most of the militants use fake names to hide their identification," the source said. The arrested foreign militants fled from the tribal region bordering Afghanistan during the Pakistan Army operation against foreign militants, the source further said.

However, other sources said that the name of the Afghan was Wahid, a single name which is used by most of Afghans and Pakistani nationals. "Yes Wahid has been picked up by police," a woman in the house having Uzbek told Dawn. But she refused to give further details.

"They were living in the locality for the last three months," said a resident of Sultan Colony.appearances as Afghans wearing Shalwar Kamez and Afghani turbans and their neighbours had no idea about their origin, Mohammad Omar, a resident of the area, told Dawn.

GERMAN NATIONAL: Authorities in the Kurram tribal region have arrested a German national at Chappari checkpoint on Tuesday, officials said.

The German national, who has been identified as Richard Cahoon, in his 30s, was shifted to the Parachinar sub-jail for interrogation.

An official told Dawn by phone on Wednesday that the security forces got Mr Cahoon disembark from a commuter van coming from Peshawar at Chappari checkpoint, the main entry point to the Kurram Agency.

The officials said that security guards recovered a locally manufactured pistol and a knife from Mr Cahoon's possession. Sources, while quoting the detained foreigner, said that he was a convert and his Islamic name was Ramazan. He also told investigators that he wanted to meet local people.

Officials said that the arrested man was entering the Kurram region without permission. Under the government policy, no foreigner and non-locals could enter a tribal agency without getting prior permission of the Home and Tribal Affairs Department.

Secretary (Fata), security, Brig Mahmood Shah said that the German was in Parachinar's jail and had been handed over to the Joint Interrogation Team (JIT).

Is this a bad translation or do they really intend to execute journalists that are reporting bad news?
http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en65304&F_catID=&f_type=source

Lashkar fails to nab any foreigner in Shakai area

WANA: The tribal Lashkar of Ahmadzai Wazir continued search for suspected foreign militants in Shakai area of South Waziristan Agency, but failed to nab any non-Pakistani despite hectic efforts.

The Lashkar comprising thousands of armed tribesmen searched Spirkai and other areas inhibited by Khojakhel, Khonikhel and Etikhel sub-tribes of Ahmadzai and spent the whole day to find any clue to the whereabouts of suspected foreigners. They also searched houses of the local tribesmen.

An elder from Shakai, Malik Jalil told the Lashkar that no foreign national was hiding in the area and warned that the house of the tribesmen would be demolished and heavy fines imposed on them if any foreign national was recovered from any place. He told the Lashkar that Rs one million fine would also be imposed on those offering protection to foreign nationals.

In light of the decision taken by the 36-member supervisory committee of tribals, six armed members of the Lashkar were tasked to stay in the area till Friday and report to the committee in Wana about the presence of suspected foreign elements, if any.

Addressing the Lashkar at Wana on return, Malik Baa Khan, Malik Saeedullah, Wallah Khan and Khaddin said it showed that no foreign national was spotted in areas where search operation was conducted by the Lashkar as these elements might have shifted to other areas before the operation. They said that the decision to go after the foreign elements was intact and the tribesmen would not rest till the issue was resolved and all the concerned parties were satisfied.

The speakers also warned the media people not to portray the issue in a negative manner and must not give the impression that South Waziristan Agency had become a safe haven for foreign terrorists. They said the journalists making negative reporting would be publicly executed. In a relative development, the government has transferred all three assistant political agents of the agency and asked them to hand over charge to the new officers to be posted soon.

Note that they mention that it is close to China and Tajikistan. Both countries have problems with Muslim fundamentalists. I doubt that T can handle the situation, high ranking officers in their security service are profiting on smuggling of drugs and arms.

http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=65600
ISLAMABAD, May 22 (Online): The government will make no compromise on dislodging foreign elements hiding in tribal areas and the foreigners will either have to surrender or they will be eliminated.

This was decided in a high level meeting at Army House in Rawalpindi on Friday with President General Pervez Musharraf in the chair.

The meeting was attended by NWFP Governor, Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, Vice Chief of Army Staff, General Yusaf Khan, Corps Commander, Peshawar, Lt Gen Syed Safdar Hussain and other senior officials.

The participants were apprised that tribals are law abiding, peace loving and loyal Pakistanis and only a handful of them are harbouring foreign militants. They will be dealt with severely.

It was further decided that if the government efforts does not meet success, government would not hesitate to use force.

It was stressed in the meeting that work on all the projects undertaken for the socio-economic development of the area would continue.

The government will provide all possible assistance for completion of these projects, the meeting decided.

Moreover, Pakistan is going to seal its frontiers in Chitral-Wakhan area bordering Afghanistan to stop activities of suspected elements in the area .

To this effect, the NWFP Home Ministry has forwarded a plan to the federal government in this regard .

The step has been taken in order to stop the crossing of Al Qaeda and Taliban elements in to the country. It may be recalled that Wakhan border area is situated between Afghanistan and Pakistan while China and Tajikistan are also close to the area

How long time will the Paki gov give the tribes to deliver?
http://www.dawn.com/2004/05/22/top3.htm
Lashkar ends search, says no foreign militant found: Government not satisfied

By Dilawar Khan Wazir

WANA, May 21: A tribal lashkar ended its hunt on Friday saying it found no evidence of any foreign militant in the South Waziristan tribal region and has formed a 30-member committee to continue search in the remaining villages.

The commander of the 1,200 armed tribal volunteers, Allagai Wazir, made the announcement at a jirga at Wana bazaar, telling his fellow tribesmen of their three days of search for foreign militants in Azam Warsak, Shakai, Raghzai and Zha Ghundai yielded nothing.

He said that the lashkar visited the areas and warned all against sheltering foreign militants. He said that tribesmen had been warned that those found sheltering foreign militants would face demolition of their houses, heavy fine and banishment from the area.

Mr Wazir announced formation of a 30-member committee which, he said, would continue the search in the remaining few villages and inform him of the presence of any foreign militant to prompt an action from the tribal lashkar.

Following the announcement of the committee, the lashkar was then allowed to disperse. But before doing so, the lashkar fined a fellow tribesman in Samarbagh for violating a decision of a ban on inter-tribal feuds and firing during its search for foreign militant.

Malik Baa Khan, an influential tribesman, had no answer when a reporter asked him that the lashkar had been too focused on imposing fines on tribesmen for violating the ban on firing. But the authorities in South Waziristan tribal region said they were not satisfied with the performance of the lashkar. "The lashkar just went through its routine motion and did not do anything practical," said one official seeking anonymity.

Fata secretary (security) Brig Mehmood Shah endorsed the views of administration officials in Wana. Talking to Dawn in Peshawar, Mehmood Shah said the government was not satisfied, but said that it would like to give more time to the political process and go the whole hog to resolve the matter through peaceful means.

He said that the government would continue to watch the developments in Wana and the performance of the committee before firming up its line of action. He refused to speculate on possible military action in the near future.

"The situation will be clear next week. We are keeping our cards close to our chest and will lay them on the table when the time comes," he remarked. But government officials now privately acknowledge that the collapse of April 24 Shakai Agreement that led the government to pardon five tribal militants in return for a pledge that they would remain peaceful, and the poor performance of the tribal lashkar is leading the situation again towards another military operation in the region.

The last operation near Wana in March had left several people dead including military and paramilitary soldiers and tribal militants

The show goes on...

http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en66866&F_catID=&f_type=source

PESHAWAR/WANA: A suspected al-Qaeda member and a soldier of Shawal Scouts were killed in an apparent suicide attack, while two others were seriously injured at a check-post in North Waziristan agency, close to the border with Afghanistan on Thursday.

According to eyewitnesses, the foreign national, believed to be an Uzbek, attacked the militiamen at the Dumdail check-post, 20 kilometres south of Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan, when a passenger coach in which he was travelling from Miranshah to Razmak was signalled to stop at 11:30 am.

As soon as the vehicle was signalled by the security men to stop "he jumped out of the coach and attacked the soldiers with a hand grenade", eyewitnesses said. A soldier of the Shawal Rifles Noor Alam Turi, succumbed to his injuries and died in a hospital in Miranshah, while two soldiers, Suhbat Khan Bittani and Azmat Khan Afridi, were seriously injured and shifted to Peshawar.

The office assistant of the Commandant Shawal Rifles confirmed the incident and said that the foreign national, who also died in the attack, appeared to be an Uzbek rather than an Arab. "The injured soldiers are in critical condition," he added.

The body of the killed terrorist was removed in a military helicopter to Miranshah, officials said. "He was an al-Qaeda man," said the injured soldier, Azmat Afridi, adding that one of his colleagues, who was in civil dress tried to overpower the attacker but the attacker was very quick and trained enough to carry out the attack killing himself and injuring three others.

Fata Security Secretary Brig (retd) Mehmud Shah told a news conference in Peshawar that the terrorist was killed by the security guards at the check-post after three of the militiamen were injured in the grenade attack. Shah said that two Uzbeks, five Afghans and three Pakistani nationals have been arrested at the check-post.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in Islamabad, however, said that FC soldiers apprehended nine people, including six foreign nationals in two separate incidents on Thursday. APP quoting an ISPR press release said a foreign miscreant was killed while five others were apprehended by Frontier Corps on Miranshah-Razmak Road in North Waziristan Agency. In the second incident, a car carrying three Burqa-clad passengers approached an FC check post. During the search, the FC Jawans found that Burqa-clad passengers were males and fully armed. They were apprehended and five grenades and five machineguns were recovered from their possession. Two FC Jawans were also injured in the encounter with the miscreants.

And in South Waziristan, according to our Wana correspondent, the Ahmadzai tribal Lashkar will restart operation against foreigners and their local protectors today (Friday) as the administration arrested a prominent Malik Mirza Alam, raising the number of those arrested to 80. The decision to resume hunt for suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in the area was taken at a Jirga in Rustam Bazaar here. The Jirga decided that volunteers from the Yargulkhel sub-tribe would not accompany the Lashkar.

Meanwhile, Corps Commander Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain visited troops deployed in North and South Waziristan agencies and met officers and Jawans positioned at Wana, Angoor Adda, Razmak and Dabbar Miami.

Talking informally to the troops, he said: "Pakistan Army is here for the noble cause of shielding the sacred frontiers of the motherland. Earlier, on his arrival in Wana, the corps commander was given detailed briefing on security situation and other operational matters. He expressed complete satisfaction over the state of preparedness of the troops.

Govt threatens to bulldoze Wana bazaar

WANA, June 8: The government on Tuesday warned of bulldozing the Wana bazaar after thousands of tribal volunteers appeared to have failed to capture any of the foreign militants hiding in the South Waziristan tribal region.

The administrator of the region, Asmatullah Gandapur, warned on Tuesday that the Wana bazaar, which was closed 10 days ago as part of economic sanctions against the Ahmadzai Wazirs, would be completely demolished.

He, however, did not indicate when the fresh punitive action would be taken against the tribe. He said the tribesmen would have to accomplish their collective responsibilities to avert a 'strong punitive action' under Section 21 of the Frontier Crimes Regulations.

It may be mentioned that Wana bazaar was demolished in 1976 after the Mahsud and Wazir tribes clashed over the construction of the Gomal Road. The collective responsibility clause of the FCR was invoked last month when the administration sealed shops and other property of Ahmadzai Wazirs tribesmen in Wana and in the settled districts of Tank and Dera Ismail Khan.

The tribe is required to produce foreigners living in its region for registration or deny them shelter in the territory. Meanwhile, the 4,000-strong tribal lashkar continued its house-to-house search operation in the Shakai area for the second consecutive day, but failed to find any foreign militant.

An uneasy calm prevails in the region and army troops and paramilitary forces are digging trenches and mounting heavy weapons on hilltops in Azam Warsak, Shin Warsak and Shakai.

http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en67343&F_catID=&f_type=source

The pakis should nab Nek:

http://www.dawn.com/2004/06/10/top7.htm
Fierce fighting in Wana; 20 militants killed: Many troops reported dead

By Ismail Khan & Dilawar Khan Wazir

WANA, June 9: At least 15 soldiers and 20 suspected militants were killed in day-long fighting triggered by simultaneous attacks on military posts in South Waziristan on Wednesday, knowledgeable sources said.

The Inter Services Public Relations did not give any figures: it only said that security forces had suffered a few casualties during exchanges of fire. However, knowledgeable sources told Dawn that attacks on two military posts had left 15 soldiers dead, nine of them belonging to the paramilitary Frontier Corps and six to the Pakistan Army.

One official source put the number of security personnel killed at 13. At least 10 paramilitary soldiers, who were wounded in the attacks, were being treated at the Scouts Hospital in Wana. The number of military personnel injured could not be ascertained.

Government officials said 20 suspected militants were killed while one injured militant was captured in the fighting. They said that the bodies of six suspected militants, believed to be foreigners, were retrieved till Wednesday evening.

"The militants have buried seven of their dead comrades in Shakai, while the rest of the bodies are lying in the dry river- bed that could not be retrieved because of fighting," one official source said.

At least three civilians, two men and a woman, were killed in crossfire when militants tried to force them out of a place to take up position there against the security forces. They belonged to the Khanokhel Mehsud tribe and were living in one of the three houses built underneath the Torwam bridge on the Tiarza-Luddah Road.

A Khasadar, a tribal levy, also was caught in the crossfire and was killed, the officials said. Locals in Tiarza, where one of the two attacks took place, said the casualty figure on both sides could be higher.

They said that four of the eight suspected militants killed were local Mehsud tribesmen. "We don't know what is happening. We are all stuck here. All that we know is that there is heavy fighting going on.

All I can tell from the intensity of the firing is that the casualty figure would be very high," Dr Muhammad Arif, a resident of Tiarza, told Dawn by phone. According to the official account, suspected militants launched simultaneous attacks on two military checkposts about 10 kilometres apart at around 4.30am.

But tribesmen said the fighting began after the militants had occupied one of the posts and the besieged soldiers called for reinforcements. Brig Mehmood Shah, head of the security in Fata, told Dawn the militants launched the attack with mortars, rockets and machine-guns on the military post on the Tiarza- Luddah Road near the recently-built Torwam bridge, about 20km to the west of Wana.

The other attack was launched almost simultaneously on a military post about 10km from the Torwam post, on the Wana-Inzar Road, about 25km to the west of Wana. Both the checkposts served as entry points in the foothills of the Shakai valley, an area widely considered to be used as a hideout by hundreds of foreign militants.

Thousands of armed tribal volunteers, under pressure from the government, have been searching for foreign militants in Shakai for the last two days, but without any luck.

The lashkar abandoned its search on Wednesday following the twin-attack and returned to Wana. Tribesmen said the search was abandoned after local tribes refused to cooperate with the lashkar.

A grand jirga of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe has now been summoned at Azam Warsak on Thursday to discuss the situation and chalk out the future course of action. Brig Shah said the militants were most likely Uzbeks and Chechens. "It was a mixed bag."

He said the six bodies recovered from the scene of the fighting also had foreign features. He said it was during the encounter that three foreign militants were killed while a fourth one was injured and captured.

"The fighting was intense. We also used artillery," he said. Gunship helicopters took to the air but did not carry out any bombing due to cloudy weather. A senior official said that fresh reinforcements were sent to the two check posts to bring the situation under control.

The army also used artillery from the Zari Noor brigade headquarters to pound militants' positions in the mountains. The officials and top tribal militant Nek Muhammad were quick to accuse each other of violating the April 24 'rapprochement' reached at Shakai that won amnesty for five top tribal militants including Nek, in return for a pledge to remain peaceful and not to use Pakistani soil against any other country.

The 27-year-old Nek and his four fellow clansmen have been accused by the authorities of harbouring and helping foreign militants. A spokesman for the ISPR said in a statement that the government was following a political process to resolve the issue of foreign militants amicably and without using force.

"However, miscreants in an utter violation of the agreement and breach of trust, Muslim values, tribal customs and local traditions, resorted to unprovoked firing on the posts of the security forces.

"This should be an eye-opener for those who, oblivious of the ground realities, continue to maintain that there are no miscreants in the area," the statement concluded.

But Nek Muhammad in an interview with a foreign news organization hurled the same charge at the government. "It is the government which is committing excesses against our tribesmen and these attacks are the result of those excesses," he contended.

"If the government does not stop the operation there will be attacks in Peshawar, Islamabad and Karachi," Nek Muhammad warned. Without accepting responsibility for the attacks, the tribal militant, who had once fought for the Taliban in Afghanistan, rebuffed the government's claim regarding casualties among militants. "Only one of the mujahideen embraced martyrdom," he told Dawn on telephone in Wana.

Residents in Wana said the fighting had stopped by the evening in Tiara and on the Wana-Inzar Road but there were fears of resumption of attacks elsewhere during the night and on Thursday.

Senior officials said that the foreign militants were still hiding in Shakai and the army was contemplating a major operation. "There will be a strong reaction," commented one senior official.

"The writ of the government will have to be established now. We have been befooling ourselves by trying to encourage lashkars and jirgas. The tribal institutions have weakened and eroded over the period," the official commented. Locals in Shakai said that hundreds of families, with women and children, were moving to safe location for fear of a military operation in the area.

it is heating up:

http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=67363

KARACHI, June 10 (Online): Ten people including a sub inspector were feared dead in the firing over an official jeep in Clifton area of Karachi on Thursday morning, while several others were injured.

Reports collected from eye witnesses and police officials suggests that unknown assailants fired at a Police convoy which was passing through an Jeep while it was passing through Baath Island Bridge in the Clifton area of port city at 9:00 am killing 10 people.

Meanwhile, Col Idrees of Army said that the Baath Island Bridge is used regular as means of traveling by Corps Commander and other senior army officers. He said that the real target of the assailants was the police jeep ahead of them and the army convoy was caught in the firing. He said three policemen were also killed including sub inspector Mohammad Asghar. The assailants managed to flee, according to eyewitnesses .

Jinnah hospital sources told Online that they have received dead bodies of police constable Nazeer Hussain, a 50 year old unidentified man suspected to be an army officer and police sub inspector Hassan Asghar. While dead bodies of Shahid, Tariq Naveed, Mohabbat Baig, Dildar Manzoor, LD Tariq and Afzal Shakir have been sent to PNS Shifa hospital, these sources added .

The ten injured, including six passengers of Sindh Secretariat vehicle have been sent to Civil Hospital Karachi. Two police constables are also said to be critically y injured as well as two girls Benish and Kanwal. Soon after the incident a bomb explosion occurred at a garbage dump near the site of earlier incident. However no loss of life was reported in that incident, the police official said .

Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan, Director General, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) when contacted for comments, termed the incident as terrorism and said that important personalities traveling in the army convoy are safe and no injuries have been incurred on them .

He said according to initial investigative reports the car involved in the incident was stolen from Gulistan Johar early Thursday morning and was left abandoned at Defense. He said a Klashinkov and some bullets have been recovered from the abandoned car and spots of blood have also been seen which indicates that the assailants were also injured in the retaliatory fire .

However he added that further details on the incident cannot be made public as to who is involved in the incident until a complete investigative report is filed .

In response to a question he said it is too early to speculate whether the incident is a backlash of the operation in Wana until all investigations are completed .

Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan said only anti patriotic elements can be behind such dastardly act of terrorism however the government has vowed to crush all such elements involve in destabilizing the country .

Violence has gripped this southern port city of Pakistan since the past couple of weeks.

more action:
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=67385

ISLAMABAD, June 11 (Online): Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Shaukat Sultan has termed the reports on the heavy loss of life to armed forces and security forces during the operation against foreign militants in Wana as misleading and against the facts saying that the statistics being presented in this regard are incorrect.

He denied the news items that 50 army men and 18 Frontier Constabulary personnel were martyred during the operation on Wednesday.

Talking to Online Thursday he said that he could not tell details about the casualties occurred during the operation in clear terms, as it is part of our policy. However there is no truth in the reports of martyrdom of 68 personnel. The loss of life is five times less than these reports, he added.

Citing to Wana situation, he said that neither any untoward incident took place on Thursday in Wana nor the firing was going on. On the night between Wednesday and Thursday, firing was heard one or two times but situation remained calm and peaceful on Thursday, he pointed out. Eight jawans were martyred in Thursday firing while 25 terrorists were killed. Bodies of some of the terrorists have been recovered and taken into custody, he disclosed.

Some unknown persons lobbed missiles on Wana Scouts camp, Tayyara Zah army check post and Toorwam check post. It triggered exchange of firing between both sides, which lasted one hour. Light and heavy arms were used in cross firing. No report on loss of life could be ascertained immediately. Gunship helicopters made low flights in the area at 8 a.m.

On the other side Azad Tribal Mujahideen has accepted the responsibility of missile attack.

A leading member of Azad Tribal Mujahideen told Online Thursday that they had not started regular warfare against the government adding that what is going on is a sheer warning. It is better to die by fighting against the government rather than starving to death in economic blockade.

The reports are reaching on shifting of locals from Sub division Wana and surrounding areas to Tank or Dera Ismail Khan in quest for safer refuges.

A jirga held in the area of Azamwarsak among the Ahmadzai Wazir tribes decided that every nation would be responsible for its area. A retaliatory attack to attack of Mujahideen will be termed an offensive on the people of the area.

It was also decided that a penalty of Rs one million will be levied and houses will be demolished of those who are found involved in providing food and accommodation facilities to militants.

Govt to wipe out terrorists from Wana: Faisal

Government will use military force to wipe out terrorists from Wana provided the crisis is not settled through political channels, said Interior Minister Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat on Thursday.

Talking to journalists after inaugurating "National Seminar on Pollen Allergy in Islamabad" he said that government is not only going all out to clear tribal areas from foreign miscreants but also to clean the mess from the entire country.

"For this reason if government will need to apply all its available resources it will not turn its back in accomplishing the desire of making Pakistan a terrorists free country, we will not compromise on Pakistan's safety, stability and sovereignty" he added.

He said that at the time Senators and MNA's from FATA and Tribal Jirga are making all out efforts in improving the situation in Wana and other tribal areas. "We offered aliens an option to register themselves with the government but they failed to grab the opportunity," he maintained.

Reciprocating to a query he refuted the option of use of foreign force in Pakistan to clamp down on terrorists in Wana. "The situation in Pakistan is very different from that of Afghanistan and Iraq. We are a sovereign state and can't allow foreigners to carry out operations in Pakistan," he maintained.

Responding to a query about Karachi terrorist activities he said: "We have taken very important decisions for improving law and order situation in Karachi and these decisions will definitely eliminate terrorism and sectarianism from the city."

While referring to change in Sindh government he said that situation would improve in the province.

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