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Pak using American imaging system to hit Taliban targets with F-16s |
As part of their Waziristan offensive, the Pakistani military has begun hitting
crucial Taliban targets with the help of a new imaging system that Americans have
quietly provided for their F-16s. The New York Times quoted an American official
as saying that the Pakistani Air Force had identified over 100 targets for airstrikes
in South Waziristan. He added that Pakistanis didn't publicize the upgraded American
imaging systems for the F-16s because of the prevailing anti-American sentiment
in Pakistan. However, it is not clear whether the newly equipped F-16s would make
a significant difference, especially with the winter approaching. As of now, the
Pakistani military is hoping to move deeper into South Waziristan, as the helicopter
gunships climbed higher into the mountainous terrain. On Sunday, F-16s struck
the militant-held towns of Makeen, Ladha and Kotkai in the heart of Taliban territory,
and ground forces have occupied territory on the edge of the militant enclave.
Although military sources said that the level of resistance from militants is
not very high, the area is heavily mined and Pakistani forces have already encountered
many homemade bombs. The actual casualty on both sides cannot be confirmed, with
the army saying that it has killed 60 militants and lost five soldiers, and the
Taliban claiming that they have killed 60 soldiers so far. According to a Taliban
spokesperson, encouraging soldiers further in Waziristan is part of their strategy,
after which the militants plan to tie the soldiers down with hit-and-run tactics
and keep them in the inhospitable terrain over the winter. The government forces
would be hit hard once they penetrated farther into the mountains, the favourite
fighting areas for the militants, he added. |
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