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Over 400,000 Pak troops needed to take on mighty Taliban in Waziristan: Expert | The Pakistan Army has been describing the South Waziristan offensive against the Taliban as the 'mother of all battles' and claimed that it has penetrated deep into the extremists den capturing the key town of Kotkai, however, experts consider all these claims as cosmetic and
believe that it will require a massive effort from the military to flush the militants
out of the region. While the Pakistani officials have been claiming huge success
in the so called 'epic battle', researchers say a massive number of troops amounting
to anything between 370,000 and 430,000 would be needed to take on the might of
the extremists and carry out an effective counterinsurgency operation in the tribal
region. According to Sameer Lalwani, author of a new report for the New America
Foundation, there are not enough Pakistani troops to challenge the extremists
and building up such a strong force would require huge efforts. "The most Pakistan
could free up from its border with India would be 152,000 more. Cobbling together
a force of the needed size would take two to five years," The Christian Science
Monitor quoted Lalwani, as saying. Some 28,000 troops are currently facing off
against a force of Uzbeks and Taliban numbering at least 12,000 fighters. "That
is going to be a really bloody fight.They've had higher force ratios before and
it's been pretty bloody for them," Lalwani pointed out. Some believe that the
war could trigger a long, unending struggle against the state by the tribal people.
"The danger exists that this becomes a tribal issue. If all the Mehsuds see this
as an attack against them, this will become a long and drawn-out struggle," said
Shuja Nawaz, an analyst with Washington based think-tank, the Atlantic Council. |
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