BBC Online :
Pakistani fighter jets are reported to have carried out fresh air strikes against militants based in the north-west tribal area of North Waziristan.
They came hours after the government announced an offensive in the mountainous area bordering Afghanistan.
Many civilians fled in anticipation of the offensive, which the army hopes will disrupt militant strongholds.
It is just one week since a deadly militant attack on the country’s largest airport in the city of Karachi.
On Sunday the government proclaimed that Abu Abdul Rehman al-Maani, an Uzbek believed to have helped organise the Karachi airport assault, was among those killed.
These latest strikes are said to have targeted the thickly forested Shawal Valley, an area with few roads where the army says the Taliban are known to have hideouts.
The authorities say they are setting up “surrender points” for the militants, but the army has been tasked with “eliminating” those who will not give themselves up.
The long-awaited military sweep in North Waziristan follows a spike in militant violence. It also comes after a major split in the TTP group of Pakistani Taliban which many believe was engineered by Pakistani intelligence.
But analysts have long suggested Pakistan would secure its western borders ahead of Nato quitting Afghanistan. The immediate purpose of the operation appears to be to evict foreign and local “terrorists” from North Waziristan. They will take time to regroup.
It is not clear if the Haqqani network and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group – both of which are focused mainly on fighting in Afghanistan – fall within this definition.
Most “foreign” and TTP elements – who portray themselves as anti-Pakistan – took advantage of a two-week period when Pakistan reportedly pulled out forces from its side of the border. That was apparently aimed at avoiding ground battles with militants that could have been bloody at a time of delicate negotiations with other factions.
Sources believe that aircraft and artillery will form the basis of this offensive, the BBC’s Mike Wooldridge reports from Islamabad.
There are already more than 60,000 troops in the region but reports say ground troops have not so far been involved in direct military action.
Our correspondent says that North Waziristan is effectively being sealed off, and Afghanistan has been asked to plug militant escape routes.
Reuters reports that the army has imposed an all-day curfew and switched off mobile phone services to stop militant communication.
Arrangements are also being made for the evacuation of those civilians remaining in the region.
Pakistani fighter jets are reported to have carried out fresh air strikes against militants based in the north-west tribal area of North Waziristan.
They came hours after the government announced an offensive in the mountainous area bordering Afghanistan.
Many civilians fled in anticipation of the offensive, which the army hopes will disrupt militant strongholds.
It is just one week since a deadly militant attack on the country’s largest airport in the city of Karachi.
On Sunday the government proclaimed that Abu Abdul Rehman al-Maani, an Uzbek believed to have helped organise the Karachi airport assault, was among those killed.
These latest strikes are said to have targeted the thickly forested Shawal Valley, an area with few roads where the army says the Taliban are known to have hideouts.
The authorities say they are setting up “surrender points” for the militants, but the army has been tasked with “eliminating” those who will not give themselves up.
The long-awaited military sweep in North Waziristan follows a spike in militant violence. It also comes after a major split in the TTP group of Pakistani Taliban which many believe was engineered by Pakistani intelligence.
But analysts have long suggested Pakistan would secure its western borders ahead of Nato quitting Afghanistan. The immediate purpose of the operation appears to be to evict foreign and local “terrorists” from North Waziristan. They will take time to regroup.
It is not clear if the Haqqani network and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group – both of which are focused mainly on fighting in Afghanistan – fall within this definition.
Most “foreign” and TTP elements – who portray themselves as anti-Pakistan – took advantage of a two-week period when Pakistan reportedly pulled out forces from its side of the border. That was apparently aimed at avoiding ground battles with militants that could have been bloody at a time of delicate negotiations with other factions.
Sources believe that aircraft and artillery will form the basis of this offensive, the BBC’s Mike Wooldridge reports from Islamabad.
There are already more than 60,000 troops in the region but reports say ground troops have not so far been involved in direct military action.
Our correspondent says that North Waziristan is effectively being sealed off, and Afghanistan has been asked to plug militant escape routes.
Reuters reports that the army has imposed an all-day curfew and switched off mobile phone services to stop militant communication.
Arrangements are also being made for the evacuation of those civilians remaining in the region.
