Pakistan stops its offensives for Ramadan
Zarar Khan, Associated Press in Islamabad
The Guardian, Monday September 1 2008
Pakistan said yesterday it was suspending a military operation against insurgents in the tribal region for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
A Taliban spokesman welcomed the decision to halt the strikes in the Bajur tribal region, a rumoured hide-out of Osama bin Laden, but government and military officials warned that any provocation by insurgents in the area would prompt immediate retaliation.
Despite not committing to a formal end to the operation against insurgents, interior minister Rehman Malik said people displaced from Bajur could return to the region "without any fear". He said the suspension would take effect today, but army spokesman Major Murad Khan said the military had already halted its activities.
US officials have pressed Pakistan to crack down on militants in its tribal region, fearing Taliban and al-Qaida-linked fighters involved in attacks on US and Nato forces in Afghanistan use those border areas as safe zones.
Pakistan's five-month-old government at first tried peace talks with militants, but those efforts bore little fruit. It has turned to force in recent weeks, including using helicopter gunships and jets to attack insurgent hideouts.
Bajur has been the primary focus, though clashes have also occurred in Swat, in the north-west of the country. The operation in Bajur has killed at least 562 Islamist insurgents and displaced more than 300,000 people, Malik said.
The numbers and scope of the operations have been nearly impossible to confirm because of the remote, dangerous nature of the region. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for a string of recent suicide attacks, calling them revenge for US offensives.
Zarar Khan, Associated Press in Islamabad
The Guardian, Monday September 1 2008
Pakistan said yesterday it was suspending a military operation against insurgents in the tribal region for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
A Taliban spokesman welcomed the decision to halt the strikes in the Bajur tribal region, a rumoured hide-out of Osama bin Laden, but government and military officials warned that any provocation by insurgents in the area would prompt immediate retaliation.
Despite not committing to a formal end to the operation against insurgents, interior minister Rehman Malik said people displaced from Bajur could return to the region "without any fear". He said the suspension would take effect today, but army spokesman Major Murad Khan said the military had already halted its activities.
US officials have pressed Pakistan to crack down on militants in its tribal region, fearing Taliban and al-Qaida-linked fighters involved in attacks on US and Nato forces in Afghanistan use those border areas as safe zones.
Pakistan's five-month-old government at first tried peace talks with militants, but those efforts bore little fruit. It has turned to force in recent weeks, including using helicopter gunships and jets to attack insurgent hideouts.
Bajur has been the primary focus, though clashes have also occurred in Swat, in the north-west of the country. The operation in Bajur has killed at least 562 Islamist insurgents and displaced more than 300,000 people, Malik said.
The numbers and scope of the operations have been nearly impossible to confirm because of the remote, dangerous nature of the region. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for a string of recent suicide attacks, calling them revenge for US offensives.
