Pakistani aircraft pound Taliban in South Waziristan

The Pakistani Air force continues to pound Taliban positions in South Waziristan as ground forces prepare for the ground assault against Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.

Since Sunday, more than 30 Taliban fighters and civilians have been reported killed during air and artillery strikes in Baitullah’s tribal areas. Most of today’s strikes were in response to Taliban military assaults on bases in both North and South Waziristan.

The Taliban used mortars, rockets, heavy machine guns, and assault rifles, “and even an anti-aircraft gun,” Pakistani officials told The Associated Press. The Pakistani security forces did not report any casualties during the Taliban assaults on the unidentified bases.

The Army and Air Force responded today by striking in six villages in South Waziristan. Eleven Taliban fighters were reported to have been killed during airstrikes in the village of Kaniguram. A compound run by a local Taliban leader named Malik Ameer was the target of the attack.

In the Ramzak region along with border between North and South Waziristan, two Taliban fighters, three women, and three children were killed when fighter-bombers struck a compound. Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters used the compound run by Jalal Afghani as a safe house.

Yesterday, the Air Force launched strikes in the Makeen and Wergeen regions in South Waziristan. Seven Taliban fighters were killed in Makeen and five more were killed in Wergeen. Makeen is Baitullah’s main base of operations, and has been targeted by both Pakistani F-16s and US unmanned Predator strike aircraft this past week.

Tahir Yuldashev, the leader of the Taliban and al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, is thought to have been wounded in an attack last week that coincided with a meeting between Baitullah and senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders.

Pakistani artillery is also reported to have hit a compound in Wana run by South Waziristan Taliban warlord Mullah Nazir. The attack reportedly occurred while the military was working to secure a portion of the Wana-Jandola road, the main artery into South Waziristan that has been under Taliban control for three years. No casualties were reported.

The military and the government have signaled that the Waziristan offensive will focus on Baitullah’s Taliban faction. There is no indication that Nazir or North Waziristan warlords Hafiz Gul Bahadar and Siraj Haqqani will be be targeted.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

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7 Comments

  • Midnight says:

    …..sometimes not saying anything at all is a sign of strength other times the actions we take are a greater sign of strength than anything that we could say. Afghanistan is losing the war, yes.

  • kj says:

    Bill, you have been in the past about as skeptical of the Pakistanis as I have, but I ask you now do you believe this is a concentrated, sincere effort by the Pakistanis to dislodge and ultimately eradicate the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Pakistan?

  • Bill Roggio says:

    kj,
    It is difficult to tell. I think the government is sincere and perhaps large elements are too. I am not certain this is a concentrated effort. If the military doesn’t move against Haqqani, Bahadar, and Nazir, this essentially will be a waste of time as they will still remain.
    I will say that the Army has maintained a wider offensive than I expected for much longer than I expected. That is a good sign. But if they don’t remain, maintain the government’s writ, provide for legitimacy in the tribal areas, decapitate the Taliban leadership, etc. then this will all be for naught.

  • Rhyno327 says:

    Sounds like they are prepping the battlefield, air, arty, striking Mehsud’s positions, compounds. I think they may follow through, but if they start taking heavy casualties, my guess is they back off. Remember, they feel they are fighting thier own people, the CO’s may have the will, but do the ground pounders have the heart, the guts to push on? We will see soon enough.

  • AMac says:

    “The Army and Air Force responded today by striking in six villages in South Waziristan.”
    What are the Pakistani Air Force’s “air strikes”? Are their F-16s dropping JDAMs or dumb bombs? In either case, how are the targets chosen? Does the Air Force have observers close-in on the ground to direct the planes?
    Villages are easy to plaster, but knowing who is located at the finishing point of the bomb’s trajectory is another matter.

  • Mr T says:

    Especially since it appears the Taliban uses layers of spotters to protect the inner circle. Outer spotters relay that aircraft is coming in and the rats in the center run to their holes. Not to mention the communication from the military/ISI itself to tell the Taliban leaders a strike is coming.

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