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Pak Army's 'mother of all battles' might turn futile as Taliban slip away: Locals |
Though Pakistan has announced an all out offensive, a'mother of
all battles', against the Taliban in South Waziristan, local residents see the
offensive as futile as they believe many Taliban have slipped away into other
neighboring areas. There were reports of Taliban compounds being bombed by helicopter
gunships as troops moved out in three columns from Razmak to the north, Jandola
to the east and Shakai in the west.But people in the region believe the operation
has come a bit late. "Many Taliban fighters, including Uzbek militants, Arabs
and Mehsud tribesmen have slipped away into the neighbouring Orakzai agency to
dodge the army onslaught and live to fight another day," The Telegraph quoted
local residents, as saying. They said real fighting is yet to commence, as most
of the Taliban have retreated into mountains surrounding Makeen and Ladha, and
are waiting for the right opportunity to make their moves. Countries, which consider
Islamabad as an important ally in the 'war on terror', have welcomed the Pakistan
Army's latest offensive, but they also know it may not necessarily help their
struggle against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistani forces have already made
it clear that they would target Taliban fighters from the Mehsud tribe, which
have allied themselves with Al-Qaeda in launching audacious attacks on country's
military institutions, which means that operation will not target the infamous
'Haqqani network', which has targeted NATO forces in Afghanistan on numerous occasion
in the recent past. Pakistan's reluctance to target anti-NATO Taliban factions
has worried both Britain and the United States, but refusal to counter certain
extremist groups has neither impressed the people who against western involvement
in the region, the newspaper further said. "The Pakistan army is supporting the
Americans, so they (the jihadists) consider the Pakistan army to be like American
and Nato forces," said an Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) officer Khalid Khawaja.
Khawaja, who describes Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden as his 'friend, accused
the US of trying to destroy Pakistan and declare it a failed state. "America is
trying to destroy Pakistan as a state. You (Pakistan) have to turn your back on
America and they (America) have to get out of Afghanistan. Otherwise, this will
never end," he said. |
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