4 Threat Matrix: Pakistani military declares victory in Arakzai. Again.

Written by Bill Roggio on September 7, 2010 8:46 PM to 4 Threat Matrix

Available online at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2010/09/pakistani_military_declares_vi.php

Today the Pakistani Army claimed that the Taliban-infested tribal agency of Arakzai has been "cleared" of the Taliban. From Dawn:

Operation incharge Brigadier Pervez, while addressing a press briefing, said that 90 per cent of the agency area has been cleared of militants during the operation, which was lasted for five and a half months.

Hundreds of families were returning back to the area for the Eid celebrations.

The agency was a stronghold of rebels and terror activities in South and North Waziristan, Khyber agency, Peshawar and other areas of the country were being controlled from here, said Pervez.

All the hideouts of militants had been destroyed and all the areas near Tira had been cleared, he added. "11,000 out of 30,000 families were returning to their homes in the agency."

Pervaiz said that 60 soldiers had embraced martyrdom during the operation while 600 militants were killed and 250 arrested.

Before anyone gets excited, look back to June 1, when Chief of Army Staff General Pervaiz Kayani announced that Arakzai was cleared of the Taliban and the operation ended. Between March 21 and June 1, the Pakistani military claimed that 1,116 Taliban fighters and only 25 soldiers had been killed in Arakzai (our sources say the Taliban casualties claimed by the Pakistani military were wildly inflated).