http://www.dawn.com/2004/08/22/top2.htm
"WANA, Aug 21: Fighter planes and helicopter gunships carried out strikes on militants' positions in South Waziristan on Saturday. Officials said that troops renewed
their assault in the volatile region in response to continued night time attacks by militants on security forces and military installations in the area.
Eyewitnesses said that two F-7 planes and several helicopter gunships bombed militants' positions in the forest-covered Kip Sar, Bosh Naraia and Zawara valleys
near the Afghan border, believed to be safe hideouts for attackers.
Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan, the director-general of Inter Services Public Relations, said that PAF planes and helicopters flew over the area, but not necessarily for
carrying out strikes.
"Planes can fly for collecting intelligence or any other purpose," Maj-Gen Sultan told Dawn by phone from Islamabad.
He said that security forces operating in the area targeted suspected locations to flush out 'miscreants' hiding in Santoi, Mantoi and other areas from where they fired
rockets on military installations.
"This is in response to miscreants' attacks, which caused casualties to the security forces and civilians," the ISPR chief said.
Troops were using precision weapons to avoid civilian casualties, he added.
Witnesses said that fighter planes and helicopters started bombardment at about 8am, which continued for more than an hour. There was no report of any casualties.
The Shakai valley residents said that militants hiding in forests also targeted planes with gunfire. "Thick smoke billowed from the high peaks," they said.
The ISPR chief claimed that three militants had been killed during three days in the mountainous area of South Waziristan. They were killed during an encounter east
of Raghzai.
An official source said that one of the dead had been identified as Uzbek."
Bosh Narai can be found on the SE Quadrant Map, and Zhawar lives in the valley south of and between Ezhgal and Zer Khizhai (Sargassi) on the SW Quadrant map.
From Adm Smith's report, and as noted earlier, Jani Mela is one kilometer due east of Mandorai on the SE Quadrant map.
A report from the Pakistan Times confirms the heavy fighting and airstrikes noted here and in other posts, and also mentions a rocket diffused in Razmak shortly before the arrival of the chief administrator of the tribal areas.
Not seeing confirmation of any direct fighting at Wana or Tiarza, but many reports confirm that the artillery tubes there are staying warm.
http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en70984&F_catID=&f_type=source
Jets pound militant hide-outs in Wana
WANA: Jets and helicopter gunships bombed terrorists'
hide-outs in Saleer, Jani Melasar and Zawer areas near Shakai in South Waziristan tribal agency on Saturday killing and injuring a number of militants.
Three jets and two helicopters took part in the operation. According to locals, the jets dropped bombs that exploded with big bangs while helicopters hovered over the area for more than 30 minutes strafing the positions of militants. Artillery shells were also fired from
Zari Noor and Tiarza military camps to target the hide-outs of militants. Exact losses to life or property in these attacks could not be immediately ascertained.
Dozens of families were seen migrating to safer places from the troubled areas near Shakai. Sporadic gunbattles between terrorists and security forces and economic blockade have made life difficult for the common man in the tribal agency, commented a tribal elder. He expressed the fear that more people would face displacement as the fight was getting intense day by day. He appealed to the government to help mitigate the sufferings of people displaced during the fighting.
As many as 30 vehicles carrying fresh Army personnel also reached Wana on Saturday evening and are believed to be dispatched towards the troubled areas. There are also reports that the
forces have laid a siege to the Saleer mountainous region to plug the points in order to stop the militants from getting out of the area.
Agencies add: Pakistan Army spokesman Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan told state media that the troops had killed and wounded some foreign miscreants on Saturday in an exchange of fire near Shakai, but gave no further details. He denied a major new military operation was underway.
An intelligence official speaking on condition of anonymity in Islamabad said the troops had surrounded two hide-outs of foreign terrorists and their local supporters who had reportedly used light weapons to attack the Army.
"We have recovered body of one suspect, who is a foreigner," Shaukat Sultan said. He refused to disclose his nationality. "We have also recovered a machinegun, Kalashnikov, hand grenade and some other weapons," he said.
Local residents and journalists said the military used fighter planes and helicopter gunships and artillery to pound suspected hideouts of al-Qaeda-linked militants for 45 minutes in the mountains.
"We would not accept the presence of any miscreants and terrorists at any cost in the area," the military spokesman said. He said they tried to establish peace with militants through the Shakai Agreement but they violated the accord and failed to present the foreigners hiding in the area for registration.
Sultan said the militants opened indiscriminate firing from north of Shakai on the security forces during the last two days. "We are following the miscreants and we will not spare them," he said, adding that they would continue the operation till the elimination of terrorists.
He said the security forces were not following any manhunt campaign but trying to nab the foreign terrorists who were hiding in the area and carrying out militant activities against the forces.
The spokesman said the air planes and helicopter gunships were on reconnaissance mission. "We are using the planes to monitor the activities of the militants and specific targets in the area". He said the planes and helicopters were hitting the targets and they were trying their best to avoid any civilian causality in the operation against the terrorists.