# Pakistan army awaits orders



## QC (Oct 12, 2009)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i5zUd_kN0A_2DzUKqu2VlBkwtZ3g

*Pakistan army awaits orders to strike Taliban*

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's army said Monday it was waiting for government orders to launch a strike against Taliban strongholds in the northwest tribal belt after a brazen hostage siege left 19 people dead.

Suspected Taliban-linked gunmen staged an audacious day-time raid on the military nerve centre near Islamabad on Saturday, shooting their way into a building and barricading themselves inside with 42 hostages.

In total, eight militants, eight soldiers and three hostages were killed in the crisis that unfolded at the heart of the military establishment in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, which ended with a commando raid Sunday.

The army claimed success in an offensive against the Taliban earlier this year in the one-time tourist paradise of northwest Swat valley, but a wave of attacks in the past week show the Islamist threat is far from quashed.

Now the pressure is on the follow up the Swat push with a full-fledged operation on the Taliban bastions of North and South Waziristan, in a tribal region outside direct government authority and a known Al-Qaeda bolthole.

Military and government officials have been saying for months that they will attack the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) movement in their stronghold, but despite sporadic air strikes, no timeframe has been set.

"The army is fully prepared to launch an operation against Tehreek-e-Taliban," said a military spokesman.

"We are waiting for government orders. The government will formally announce the launching of an operation. The government has decided in principle to launch an operation against Taliban in Waziristan."

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that recent attacks -- including a car bomb killing 52 people in Peshawar city -- may speed up their assault on the area, and local officials said they were readying for the offensive. Related article: Devastating Peshawar bomb blast

"An operation against the Taliban in Waziristan is a must," Syed Shahab Ali Shah, the top administrative official of South Waziristan, told AFP,

"According to my information the government has decided to launch an operation against Waziristan's Taliban, but I do not know about the actual date," he added.

"An entire international community that includes the US, India, and China wants Pakistan to take the battle to the (headquarters) of the Taliban in South Waziristan," local newspaper The Daily Times said in an editorial.

"This attack, from what it appears, is likely to hasten the process and we should expect forces to start moving on the ground by the end of the month," it said, adding that the strike would likely start before winter sets in.

An editorial in the English-language daily The News, meanwhile, said: "The time for a decisive push into the heartland of TTP has come. The organisation has already demonstrated it is far from a spent force.

"It has in fact struck back with a vengeance."

Analysts say, however, that an operation in Waziristan will be a tougher task then flushing militants out of Swat, with the Taliban entrenched in a hostile terrain and able to slip easily across the Afghan frontier.


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## DA SWO (Oct 12, 2009)

Believe it when I see it.
Average Taliban soldier is willing to die for his cause, does the Pakistan Military have the same level of commitment from it's Soldiers?


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## Mercenary Customs (Oct 16, 2009)

My Rant...

_*The Last Three Times *_they went in there thay had their ass' handed to them, so they sign a bullshit "peace treaty" with tribal leader's, call it a win and go back to Rawalpindi with their tails between their legs.
If you talk to an average Paki, they say stupid shit like "these aren't terrorist's, there our brother's and we need to get the back in the right direction" like it's some member of the family that's lost their way.
After the attack on Pindi's Intel HQ and the follow on attacks on Police stations all over Lahore, maybe, JUST maybe they'll get their head's out of their collective ass' !

:cool:


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 16, 2009)

And now the TTP is bleeding into Lahore. My guess is there will be an artery of money coming out of the ports in Karachi. The money trail will bleed into North Wazi.. Opsec.. is an issue on going any further, use your imaginations. But if we have key HVT's just inside of P-Stan.. Marines are inserting and it is going to be a knockdown drag out couple of days... Only my opinion. I wish I knew the Urdu way to say "lets get it on".. STRATFOR had this to say. This is public intel.. 

http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/2009...mail&utm_campaign=091014&utm_content=readmore


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## Mercenary Customs (Oct 17, 2009)

As the saga continues...
it's 3 day's later,
Pak Mil claims to be "on the verge" of invading wazir after day's of an aerial bombing campaign, (locals claim mostly women and children have been hit)
Pesh is now been the latest target of suicide bombers and the world waits...
:confused:


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 17, 2009)

Tune in next week as Pakmil negotiates a flacid truce at the first sign of hard contact...


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## 0699 (Oct 17, 2009)

They just have to get pissed off enough...

Wonder if this'll do it.


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## AWP (Oct 17, 2009)

Going forth to crush a monster their bosses created....the Army vs. the ISI and their proxies.

This will be interesting.


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## Mercenary Customs (Oct 17, 2009)

Freefalling said:


> Going forth to crush a monster their bosses created....the Army vs. the ISI and their proxies.
> 
> This will be interesting.



And let's not forget the promptly at 1130hrs daily lunch/chai & prayer break. Hostilities recommence at precisly 1300hrs !
What can you say, the brit's trained them...
:doh:


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