Pakistan readies assault on Taliban in Mingora

[Gohan]

This is it, the main battle ground.

MINGORA, Pakistan (AP) — The Pakistan army readied a major assault to rid the main town in the Swat Valley of entrenched Taliban militants, who the military said Friday were shaving their beards in order to mingle undetected with fleeing civilians.

The dusty streets of Mingora were mostly empty — one resident said some unidentified bodies lay unburied there. The government relaxed a curfew to allow thousands of refugees to leave with whatever possessions they could carry ahead of what is expected to be bloody fighting.

An Associated Press reporter saw four armed Taliban on the edge of town, a little more than a mile from an army checkpoint. The army and witnesses have said the militants have dug trenches and laid mines to repel an assault.

The army lifted its curfew in Mingora for eight hours and urged the remaining residents to flee “so that security forces can take the militants to task in street-to-street fighting,” army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said.

Columns of cars, trucks and horse-drawn carts packed with people and bundles of possessions streamed out of the town. Some picked their way past bombed-out government buildings and burned-out civilian vehicles along the crowded and cratered main highway. Others took dirt roads through the fields and mountains.

Many went south on foot with only the clothes on their backs.

“We do not know where we are going,” said Muhammad Ismail Khan, who had been unable to find a ride for himself and nine relatives. “We do not know if we will ever be able to come back.”

Of the 900,000 who have abandoned Swat, 80,000 are in government camps just south of the war zone.

In a statement, the military said militants were shaving off their beards and cutting their hair — flowing locks were fashionable among the Swat Taliban — in order to escape by mingling with the refugees pouring out of the valley. Authorities have placed security at the camps and say they are trying to stop any militants infiltrating them.

The Associated Press: Pakistan readies assault on Taliban in Swat town

[Guy1]

Re: Pakistan readies assault on Taliban in Mingora

this fight will not be easy for sure..militants will try to hide at places where people r living..the best way to tackle is by fc and ssg commandoes..intelligence must be perfect..

[Khehkeshan]

Re: Pakistan readies assault on Taliban in Mingora

With the tactics being used, the causalities will be in the thousands.

[vigoratus]

Re: Pakistan readies assault on Taliban in Mingora

much anticipation and concern:

Bloody battle looms for Mingora
** Residents say Taliban have mined roads and dug trenches around 200,000 trapped civilians encircled by Pakistani troops *

ISLAMABAD: A deadly battle is looming over the capital of Swat, where armed Taliban have mined roads and dug trenches around 200,000 trapped civilians encircled by Pakistani troops, say residents and officials.

Ground forces have so far avoided close urban combat since launching a renewed offensive to crush the Taliban, instead massing on the outskirts while the Taliban mine exit and entry points, building up for a huge showdown.

Civilians stranded in town by an indefinite curfew narrated tales of horror in snatched telephone calls as communication with the outside world becomes increasingly perilous, and the Taliban and military exchange mortar fire.

“Mingora is a city of landmines, roadside bombs, trenches and masked Taliban armed with heavy weapons,” said Zahir Shah – not his real name in order to protect his identity – now sheltering with relatives in Peshawar.

A government clerk, he fled Mingora with 12 members of his family this week after watching the Taliban dig in for the long haul, walking down from the mountains and taking up position on May 3, before a ceasefire collapsed.

“I saw groups and groups of Taliban armed with heavy weapons entering the city. They entered our street and started digging trenches.

“They took position on the roofs of mosques, schools, hotels, anywhere they wanted. Nobody was there to stop them.”

Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas estimated this week that 150,000-200,000 people were trapped in Mingora, but the armed forces would lift the curfew for further evacuations before storming the city.

“We have surrounded Mingora and our strategy is to encircle the Taliban,” said Abbas.

The armed forces have little idea how long a fight for Mingora would take.

“We will do the utmost to complete this operation as soon as possible,” said Abbas.

Following calls from rights groups to avoid civilian casualties, army chief Ashfaq Kayani has ordered his troops to ensure “minimum collateral damage”.

Analysts say any battle for Mingora has the potential to be a bloodbath unless civilians are properly evacuated, but vital for the armed forces to claim victory in Swat and return the district to government control.

Defence analyst and retired general Talat Masood said the military should sit tight, squeeze the city, cut supply lines, evacuate civilians and target the Taliban – tactics he said the Russians employed in Chechnya.

“The military can stop their logistic support, cut the supply line, encircle the Taliban and target them one by one. But there will be loss of life. You cannot avoid that. They should have the city vacated and then they can afford to bomb,” he said. afp
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

we must pray for the safety of the civilians, and hope the Army does take every last step to ensure the safety of trapped civilians.

[ehtasab]

With the tactics being used, the causalities will be in the thousands.

so what should be the tactic used?

[Khehkeshan]

@ehtasab

so what should be the tactic used?

(http://www.cfr.org/publication/12257/)

I just don’t feel anyone in the army in the position of power has read this in depth and is following it. Just so many basic things are not being done. Even at the training and organizational level, to fight COIN, you need a different approach. The colonial era hierarchy, lack of small unit leadership, class divide between jawans/NCO/JCO and officers, too narrow a mission objective and not enough thinking on one’s feet, red tape, bureaucracy all impede a successful COIN op. You need to be a flexible force that can react to any changing situation. Where are the QRF’s to come to the aide of police stations or FC camps under siege? There should be dozens of QRF bases all over NWFP.

[junaid001]

With the tactics being used, the causalities will be in the thousands.

really???? what do you know what kind of tactics being used and where? do you only follow what being said in media of bombing, but do you really know where the targets are or you assume dagar means city only??

[junaid001]

@Khehkeshan

(http://www.cfr.org/publication/12257/)

I just don’t feel anyone in the army in the position of power has read this in depth and is following it. Just so many basic things are not being done. Even at the training and organizational level, to fight COIN, you need a different approach. The colonial era hierarchy, lack of small unit leadership, class divide between jawans/NCO/JCO and officers, too narrow a mission objective and not enough thinking on one’s feet, red tape, bureaucracy all impede a successful COIN op. You need to be a flexible force that can react to any changing situation. Where are the QRF’s to come to the aide of police stations or FC camps under siege? There should be dozens of QRF bases all over NWFP.

dont think like a general after reading an article…

as for article ask them to apply first in Afghanistan and show us a meager sig of success.
these guys are best at bullsh?ting and talking sitting 1000s of miles away without a real info , these were the thinktanks who were saying iraq would be a cake walk.

COIN Ops: there is hell lot of difference between what US needs to do and Pakistan needs to do reason is simple pakistan army is on home ground has all its might concentrated and can apply them anytime.
whereas US is invader people dont trust them in afghanistan and they dont know the ground.

pakistan does not need to build up bases as it has already thanas etc and what you need is effective policing and zero tolerance policy and that is what pakistan is showing in swat and in FATA whenever there is major attack forces react rapidly…

so please keep that US crap out of here i didnt had the stomach to go through that although read related docs before…

irony is here everyone want to be generals sb, before they were crying for operations they got it and now they want it done their way…

[junaid001]

as for mangora it would be a test for the army but they would take care of it with minimal damage as there are thousand way to avoid a clash in city where enemy is dug and is before you...

in my laymans approach, put tight circle around town , clear it area by area (can be multiple areas at a time) but using snipers, soft long range assualts soften the resistance, frustrate them then all out assault after they had been cornered.

Pakistan Army is mighty force and they can take care of it properly and it was just a will to do that we needed and i guess we have it now and soon inshAllah Waziristan would be cleared as well.

[Gohan]

@Khehkeshan

(http://www.cfr.org/publication/12257/)

I just don’t feel anyone in the army in the position of power has read this in depth and is following it. Just so many basic things are not being done. Even at the training and organizational level, to fight COIN, you need a different approach. The colonial era hierarchy, lack of small unit leadership, class divide between jawans/NCO/JCO and officers, too narrow a mission objective and not enough thinking on one’s feet, red tape, bureaucracy all impede a successful COIN op. You need to be a flexible force that can react to any changing situation. Where are the QRF’s to come to the aide of police stations or FC camps under siege? There should be dozens of QRF bases all over NWFP.

I’m sure the U.S. applied that counterinsurgency manual in Afghanistan and have, thus far, been so successful. The talibans are all defeated there. The U.S. army has cleared all the extremists’ strongholds and Obama was so happy with the progress that he fired his general in afghanistan last week for bringing success so soon and with very little civilian casualty.

Btw, that saying fits perfectly on you:
Kawa chala hans ki chaal or apni bhi bhool gaya

[ehtasab]

@Khehkeshan

(http://www.cfr.org/publication/12257/)

I just don’t feel anyone in the army in the position of power has read this in depth and is following it. Just so many basic things are not being done. Even at the training and organizational level, to fight COIN, you need a different approach. The colonial era hierarchy, lack of small unit leadership, class divide between jawans/NCO/JCO and officers, too narrow a mission objective and not enough thinking on one’s feet, red tape, bureaucracy all impede a successful COIN op. You need to be a flexible force that can react to any changing situation. Where are the QRF’s to come to the aide of police stations or FC camps under siege? There should be dozens of QRF bases all over NWFP.

I’d give US article about counter-insurgency some credibility if they were successful in Afghanistan, until then its nothing but piece of trash.

[aasimtom]

I'm sure the U.S. applied that counterinsurgency manual in Afghanistan and have, thus far, been so successful. The talibans are all defeated there. The U.S. army has cleared all the extremists' strongholds and Obama was so happy with the progress that he fired his general in afghanistan last week for bringing success so soon and with very little civilian casualty.

Btw, that saying fits perfectly on you: Kawa chala hans ki chaal or apni bhi bhool gaya :)

:biggthumb