Pakistan: Second day: Bombing in North Waziristan continues

Security forces bombed parts of North Waziristan for a second day on Thursday, Express News reported. A curfew was imposed in the agency as military aircraft targeted the hideouts of suspected militants in Miranshah. The offensive targeted the Matchis Camp, an area set up to house Afghan refugees but now a hub for local and foreign militants, Siraj Ahmed, the highest government official in the region, told Reuters by telephone.

Residents said helicopter gunships flattened houses and compounds in Matchis Camp while ground forces surrounded the area. Pakistani-made surveillance drones also hovered over the area all morning, the first time the country has launched unmanned aircraft.

“We announced yesterday that people should leave the area,” Ahmed said. “This morning, tanks moved in and helicopter ships began demolishing houses in the Matchis camp area.”

The Pakistan government signed an unofficial non-aggression pact with pro-government militants in the area in 2007 and there has been no ground offensive in the area since.

The military’s media wing could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday’s ground offensive but intelligence and government officials said troops were moving from three directions and some clashes had erupted with militants. “The offensive could be the army’s toughest test in years,” a senior military official said.

Foreign militants from various places including Central Asia have long been known to be based in the region.

On May 21, warplanes had bombed suspected hideouts of militants in North Waziristan, killing and wounding dozens of militants.

In pre-dawn strikes, fighter jets and helicopter gunships had raided targets in Miramshah, Mir Ali, Datta Khel, Ghulam Khan and Spen Wam tehsils of North Waziristan, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). At least 60 hardcore militants, including some key commanders and foreigners, were killed and around 30 wounded, it had claimed. The identity of most of the dead could not be verified independently, but two of the dead commanders were identified as Mosa Khan Mehsud and Sabir Mehsud.

In the afternoon yesterday, five security personnel were killed and seven injured in a clash with militants in the Mir Ali Bazaar area. According to an official, the clash had taken place during a search operation by security forces. He had stated that one army major was among the fatalities. In a retaliatory action by security forces, at least 13 militants were killed, he had added.