[Tirah, an area of dense
forests and craggy mountains stretching across several hundred square miles,
was once a notorious hub of drug smuggling. In recent years, it has become a
major stronghold of Pakistani militants and, by Pakistani estimates, is currently
home to about 2,500 foreign and local fighters.]
By Ismail Khan
 |
| Source: European Country of Origin Information Network |
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Dozens of militants and
Pakistani soldiers have died in fierce fighting as part of a new effort by the
military to gain control of the Tirah Valley, a notorious militant sanctuary on
the border with Afghanistan, Pakistani civilian and military officials said
Wednesday.
The army is seeking to
build on last year’s offensive against militants in North Waziristan to seize
control of Tirah, a remote valley controlled by the pro-Taliban group
Lashkar-i-Islam and a smattering of smaller militant groups, some of which have
pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
At least 16 Pakistani
soldiers were killed in three days of battle for control of Ghulam Ali Sar, a
strategic ridge overlooking the Peshawar plains and parts of the eastern Afghan
province of Nangarhar, a senior Pakistani security official said.
At least 12 other
soldiers, including two officers, were seriously wounded in the fighting, in
which the ridge changed hands several times before being finally captured by
the military, he said.
The official, like others
interviewed about the fighting, spoke on the condition of anonymity because he
was not authorized to publicly discuss a continuing operation. Officially, the
military claimed to have lost just seven soldiers.
In a statement on
Wednesday, the army press office said that military jets had killed 30
militants and destroyed two ammunition dumps during operations in Tirah.
Tirah, an area of dense
forests and craggy mountains stretching across several hundred square miles,
was once a notorious hub of drug smuggling. In recent years, it has become a
major stronghold of Pakistani militants and, by Pakistani estimates, is currently
home to about 2,500 foreign and local fighters.
The Pakistani Taliban and
some allied groups were forced to abandon their base in North Waziristan after
a military operation there last summer, although that has not stopped them from
carrying out bombings in the rest of Pakistan.
Some Taliban leaders are
thought to have taken refuge in Tirah, where Pakistani commandos backed by
fighter jets are leading the current operation. “Tirah is the last redoubt of
the various Pakistani militant groups,” said a senior civilian official. “You
name them and they are there.”
Across the border, in
Nangarhar Province, an airstrike that some officials identified as coming from
American aircraft killed at least nine militants with Lashkar-i-Islam,
suggesting a degree of cooperation between the American and Pakistani
militaries.
Officials say the purpose
of the Tirah operation is to improve security in Peshawar, where Taliban attackers killed
about 150 people, most of them schoolboys, in an assault last
December.
Security and government
officials say they have cleared two-thirds of the valley, taking control of
strategic features, including a mountain pass that leads into Afghanistan and
that militants have used to slip across the border.
Declan Walsh contributed reporting from London.
@ The New York Times
*
[Junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha responds to reporters’
questions about how government will deal with those who depart from official
line]
Reuters in Bangkok
Thailand’s junta leader, Prayuth Chan-ocha, has said he will
“probably just execute” any journalist who does not “report the truth”.
Last month Gen Prayuth said he had the power to shut down
news outlets, and on Wednesday he took an even harsher line. “We’ll probably
just execute them,” said Prayuth, without a trace of a smile, when asked by
reporters how the government would deal with those who do not adhere to the
official line.
“You don’t have to
support the government, but you should report the truth,” the former army chief
said, telling reporters to write in a way that bolsters national reconciliation
in the kingdom.
Prayuth, who is also prime minister, heads the ruling junta,
the National Council for Peace and Order. He toppled the government of Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in a coup last May, following months of mass
protests aimed at ousting Yingluck.
Known for his abrupt manner and impulsive remarks, Prayuth
launched a crackdown on dissenters after seizing power in May. He has said
Thailand is not ready to lift martial law, which gives the army sweeping
powers, including for arrest and detention. In January, the junta forced a
German foundation to cancel a forum on press freedom, saying Thailand was at a
sensitive juncture.
Since taking power, the junta has made full use of martial
law, which also bans all political gatherings.
Prayuth was particularly critical of the Thai-language daily
newspaper Matichon, accusing it of siding with the ousted former prime minister
Thaksin Shinawatra and his allies. “Don’t think I don’t know that your writing
is pro the previous administration,” he told a Matichon reporter shortly before
boarding a plane to Brunei. “The previous interior ministry bought many
advertising spaces from you.”
Since the army toppled Thaksin, Yingluck’s brother, in a
previous coup in 2006, Thailand has been sharply divided. Thaksin’s support
comes largely from the rural and urban working class, but the traditional
establishment in the capital and the south loathes Thaksin and accuses him of
nepotism, cronyism and republican leanings – accusations that he denies.
Shortly after taking power, Prayuth launched a year-long
road map aimed at reconciling Thais.
[Junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha responds to reporters’
questions about how government will deal with those who depart from official
line]
Reuters in Bangkok
Thailand’s junta leader, Prayuth Chan-ocha, has said he will
“probably just execute” any journalist who does not “report the truth”.
Last month Gen Prayuth said he had the power to shut down
news outlets, and on Wednesday he took an even harsher line. “We’ll probably
just execute them,” said Prayuth, without a trace of a smile, when asked by
reporters how the government would deal with those who do not adhere to the
official line.
“You don’t have to
support the government, but you should report the truth,” the former army chief
said, telling reporters to write in a way that bolsters national reconciliation
in the kingdom.
Prayuth, who is also prime minister, heads the ruling junta,
the National Council for Peace and Order. He toppled the government of Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in a coup last May, following months of mass
protests aimed at ousting Yingluck.
Known for his abrupt manner and impulsive remarks, Prayuth
launched a crackdown on dissenters after seizing power in May. He has said
Thailand is not ready to lift martial law, which gives the army sweeping
powers, including for arrest and detention. In January, the junta forced a
German foundation to cancel a forum on press freedom, saying Thailand was at a
sensitive juncture.
Since taking power, the junta has made full use of martial
law, which also bans all political gatherings.
Prayuth was particularly critical of the Thai-language daily
newspaper Matichon, accusing it of siding with the ousted former prime minister
Thaksin Shinawatra and his allies. “Don’t think I don’t know that your writing
is pro the previous administration,” he told a Matichon reporter shortly before
boarding a plane to Brunei. “The previous interior ministry bought many
advertising spaces from you.”
Since the army toppled Thaksin, Yingluck’s brother, in a
previous coup in 2006, Thailand has been sharply divided. Thaksin’s support
comes largely from the rural and urban working class, but the traditional
establishment in the capital and the south loathes Thaksin and accuses him of
nepotism, cronyism and republican leanings – accusations that he denies.
Shortly after taking power, Prayuth launched a year-long
road map aimed at reconciling Thais.
