PAKISTANI COMMANDOS swooped into a Taliban mountain stronghold by helicopter yesterday as the army pushed forward with an operation it said had killed more than 750 militants and left at least 800,000 civilians homeless.
The troops landed in Swat’s Piochar valley, home to a base used by Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah, military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said, adding at a briefing that the commandos’ mission was “to conduct search and destroy operations. The militants are on the run.” Maj Gen Abbas claimed that criminals and new recruits were deserting the Taliban en masse. The assertion could not be confirmed, however, as phone lines to the valley remained cut for most of the day amid renewed heavy fighting.
Once a tourist haven, Swat has become the site of a battle between the army and militants that has become a test of Islamabad’s will and ability to roll back a militant wave many feel threatens Pakistan’s future. For two weeks army fighter jets and helicopter gunships have pounded Taliban positions around Mingora, the main town. The militants have planted mines along roads and bridges and attacked army checkposts.
The fighting is inflicting a mounting human toll. The army estimates that some 800,000 people have been left homeless by the latest fighting, bringing the total number of displaced people in North West Frontier province to more than 1.3 million. About four-fifths of those are thought to be sheltering with friends or relatives, particularly in Mardan and Swabi districts, while about 130,000 are living in tents.
While conditions in the hastily-erected camps are rough and hot, authorities have managed to ensure adequate food and water. But disgruntlement among the displaced is rising, and, combined with anger over civilian deaths caused by army shelling, analysts say the government is in danger of squandering a wave of public sympathy for the operation.
“Winning the war, but also the peace, in Swat can only be achieved by minimising civilian suffering,” said Brad Adams of Human Rights Watch yesterday.
In Sheikh Yassin camp near Mardan, Gauhar Ali Shah sheltered from the intense afternoon heat inside a small, hot tent that has become his home. “During the daytime the helicopters’ gunships were shooting, and at night it was the mortar fire,” he said, recalling life back in Swat.
But now, the telephone technician complained, his children are ill, he had little to eat and his traumatised elderly mother had stopped speaking. “We never imagined we’d find ourselves in a situation like this. Both sides are to blame.” The army estimates its force of up to 15,000 soldiers face up to 5,000 militants in Swat. The fight is concentrated in Mingora. As army aircraft continue to pound Taliban positions across the town, the question is when a ground force of extra soldiers will arrive.
Many Pakistani analysts and generals believe the militants will melt back into the surrounding mountains, where they enjoy a tactical advantage, once they are challenged on the ground. In the meantime, fleeing villagers continue to pour into districts south of Swat.
Yesterday afternoon Muhammad Rahim arrived from Mingora, after a two-day journey that involved over 60 miles of walking, he said. "We have tried three camps but there is no space in the tents," he said. "So now we are staying at a government high school. But there is nothing there." –( Guardianservice)