Pak Generals know how to defeat the Islamists terrorists. Nothing new. Back in the 70’s the then Brig. Zia ul Haq beat the cr@p out of Palestinian militants in Jordan.
In that way, only two armies in the world have broken the back of Arab militants. Pak army and Israeli army.
I remember one TV interview of a Pak general in Wazirastan. The TV guy says, Taliban are “battle hardened”. The general said, so are we!
Swat: a model for US generals in Afghanistan
- Frequent visits by US generals highlight success of military operation
- Americans looking to replicate ‘Swat model’ in Afghanistan
By Iqbal Khattak
PESHAWAR: From US National Security Adviser James Jones to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, no senior American military dignitary’s visit to Pakistan is complete without a trip to the former Taliban stronghold of Swat.
Less than 24 hours after a suicide attack ripped through Mingora, US Gen David Petraeus’ visit to Swat on Tuesday is a testament to the importance Washington attaches to the “successful Swat model” of an operation against the Taliban.
“These visits help the Americans understand how the Taliban were defeated and how the same model will work in Afghanistan,” said former military officer Brig (r) Mehmood Shah of American generals’ frequent trips to Swat after the district was “liberated” from the clutches of the Taliban last year.
Security experts say it is absolutely beyond doubt that the situation in Swat has taken a “180-degree turn” compared to the pre-May 2009 period.
While simple military briefings can be arranged at the General Headquarters for American generals and other high-ranking dignitaries, it is believed physical presence in the former Taliban stronghold gives the visiting dignitaries a true feeling of victory over the Taliban in testing terrain like Swat.
So what is the Swat model? Experts say the model gave the military a new strategic advantage in flushing out armed groups holding densely populated urban areas without causing civilian casualties and as little damage as possible to public and private properties.
While more than two million civilians were displaced amid the Swat operation, they returned home three months later, with the Taliban forced out of urban and rural areas.
The successful execution of the offensive encouraged the Americans to replicate the Swat model in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where a 15,000 strong force of US and Afghan troops launched ‘Operation Moshtarak’ on February 9 – the first coordinated and serious anti-militant operation in Afghanistan since the Taliban regime there was overthrown in 2001.
“They are good for us as well, as it gives us opportunities to sell our model worldwide. The Americans may also feel good when they are standing in an area previously held by militants … it gives them the feeling that victory over the Taliban is possible,” said a military officer.
The officer said the Americans “now try to understand what army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani is saying can be tried in Afghanistan”. He said any acknowledgement by Washington of Pakistan’s “legitimate national interests” in Afghanistan could bring the two armies closer.
“Just listening [to news] or reading about the Swat model may not help you understand the ground situation … physical presence in the area is essential,” said the officer, who has
years of experience in the war against militancy.
Operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan is an extension of the Swat model, and results so far have been encouraging – with the ‘clear, hold and develop’ strategy apparently working against the Taliban.
The US also appears to be believing Gen Kayani, who says that successful execution of an operation in the Mehsud areas of South Waziristan would ultimately lead to a major assault on the group’s last strongholds in North Waziristan, before the elimination of militancy from Pakistani soil.
Meanwhile, it is yet to be seen how successful ‘Operation Moshtarak’ would be, to allow comparisons to be drawn and determine if simple replication of a model can lead to victory against insurgents.
