(Thumbnail image from U.S. Department of Defense)
The Pakistan army is pushing into the region of South Waziristan, a stronghold of al-Qaida and Taliban militants. Pakistani generals say it’s imperative that the army is successful in “Operation Path to Salvation." They say the survival of their country depends on it, even calling it “the mother of all battles”.
Nearly 30,000 army troops started an eight-week offensive Saturday in an effort to drive out their enemy for good. So far, Pakistan says they've killed over 70 militants.
News outlets around the world are following the offensive. Many wonder if the Pakistan army has what it takes to follow through on this ambitious goal. We get insight from NPR News, CNN, BBC, MSNBC, DAWN.com and The Telegraph.
NPR News correspondent Julie McCarthy reports on a significant challenge that the Pakistan army faces.
“The offensive is regarded as the most critical and difficult yet for the Pakistani army...South Waziristan, which lies along the Afghan border, is described as one of the toughest terrains on which to fight an enemy. Pockets of this fiercely guarded tribal area had already emptied out in anticipation of the army’s offensive.”
CNN calls this Pakistan’s most ambitious offensive in years and a defining moment for the government. They talked to analysts as to why the country is moving now.
“Now the situation has become critical. What we’ve seen is that suicide bombings have spread into all our cities. We’ve seen the extremists become stronger and stronger day after day and that nerve center lies in Waziristan. We've got to go for it now.”
Pakistan’s DAWN.com agrees. If Operation Path to Salvation will succeed, it's going to be now. They believe the command structure of the main militant group in South Waziristan, Tehrik-i-Taliban, is in disarray.
“Its dreaded chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a U.S. missile strike in August. The success of Operation Rah-i-Raast in Swat has also bolstered the morale of troops and inspired confidence among the people...The army has spent weeks cutting off militants’ escape routes and softening up targets in the region, using limited intelligence-led ground and air strikes.”
Pakistanis are uniting against South Waziristan Muslims because of recent suicide bomb attacks. The BBC reports the general public is now pulling for the government to fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
“Outside Army headquarters in Rawalpindi reminders of those killed when militants attacked here last weekend. Hassan Raza came to mourn a lost friend. Like many in Pakistan now, he’s strongly behind the military...Army has strength to face all the militants and all the terrorists. They will win this fight in [inaud].”
“But you feel the militants must be stopped now?”
“Yea they must be stopped now. It’s enough right now.”
MSNBC covered the story with two correspondents; both warn that Pakistan should not underestimate the potential of a backfire from the Taliban.
“Pakistan’s record with this sort of operation though mixed. A major offensive in the Swat valley has failed to stop bomb attacks there or elsewhere."
“These groups are showing that they’re strong as well. They will be able to attack in the future even if there is success in South Waziristan and military officials are saying this is going to be a long protracted fight success over this particular operation does not mean the end of their battle with the Taliban.”
Many western news sources covering the war in Afghanistan say that the real militants are across the border in Pakistan, based in regions like Waziristan. But The Telegraph says that while the offensive is helping Pakistan domestically, it is not advancing the cause for the U.S or NATO.
“For Pakistan's allies in the war on terror, while the offensive is a welcome development, it may not necessarily help their struggle against the Taliban, across the border in Afghanistan…its offensive will not target the notorious 'Haqqani network', a branch of the Taliban which has mounted some of the worst attacks on NATO forces in Afghanistan.”
So do you think the Pakistani’s advance is too ambitious?
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