Operation Rah-e-Nijat
Asif Haroon Raja
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) established by Baitullah Mehsud in
December 2007 with the help of his foreign mentors spread its tentacles
in whole of FATA and some settled parts of NWFP including Fazlullah led
TNSM and also gained access in South Punjab . Swat Taliban lost public
support when they refused to de-weaponise and abide by Swat agreement
signed in February 2009 and let Nizam-e-Adl get introduced. Occupation
of Lower Dir and Shangla led to launch of Operation Rah-e-Rast on 28
April. Successful Swat operation and return of over 2 million displaced
persons to their homes turned the tide and forced the militants to run
in panic. Establishment of linkage of militants with foreign powers and
ongoing spate of acts of terror brought Taliban in bad books of public
and demand for uprooting their main base in South Waziristan Agency (SWA)
grew louder. The public as well as all political parties less
Jamaat-e-Islami, JUI and Tehrik-e-Insaf stood behind the army.
Additional troops had started to move into Waziristan from July onwards
in anticipation to a decisive battle in SWA. USA had been exerting
extreme pressure on our government to commence operation in Waziristan
in conjunction with Swat operation. Army disfavored opening of two
fronts simultaneously particularly when troops were engaged in Swat,
Lower and Upper Dir , Buner, Shangla, Bajaur, Mohmand Agency, Khyber
Agency and Darra Adam Khel. It would have amounted to dilution and
dispersion of resources thereby losing concentration of effort in all
sectors. It took its time to allow consolidation of gains made on Swat
front. Period from July to mid October was judiciously utilized for
gaining intelligence to formulate plans, getting to know strength and
weaknesses of militants, acclimatization of troops and familiarization
of area of operations, completing its operational deficiencies, tying up
nuts and bolts and streamlining drills how to confront challenges of
IEDs, militants adept in guerrilla warfare and rugged terrain. For the
first time, the army was not launched in haste and given adequate
preparation time and moral support. During preparatory maneuver, troops
continued with their creeping forward policy to isolate and encircle
targeted area from multiple sides. This tactic curtailed liberty of
action of Hakimullah led militants and gave psychological ascendancy to
the military. At the same time, both Maulvi Nazir in SWA and Gul Bahadur
in North Waziristan were kept under tight control and no deal was made
to keep them friendly. Once the go ahead was given by Federal and NWFP
governments, operation Rah-e-Nijat was unfolded from three directions on
17 October.
One prong moved from north to south along axis Razmak-Makeen, the second
from southeast to northwest along axis Jandola-Kotkai-Srarogha, the
third from south to north along axis Shakai-Shrawangai-Ladha. Balanced
force was employed on each axis of advance and movement made on broad
front to overcome opposition with speed and to home on to vital complex
of Ladha-Makeen. The three pronged maneuver aimed at outmaneuvering and
encircling the adversary and blocking all avenues of escape or
reinforcement from elsewhere. Soldiers climbed the rugged mountains like
mountain leopards and rolled down to rupture the positions occupied by
militants on hilltops. Within fortnight, considerable progress has been
made on all axes causing disarray among militants. Wireless intercepts
indicated signs of chaos among them. Many among them have shaved their
beards and trimmed their beards and are running for life. Troops on
Razmak pincer have secured Kot Azam and Cheena and are fast moving
towards critical position of Makeen. On Jandola axis, troops have
captured important places of Spinkai Roghzai, Kotkai which is hometown
of Hakimullah and Qari Hussain and have now over run the pivotal
position of Srarogha and succeeded in occupying important hilltops
around the town which is facilitating their mopping up operation. This
axis is now poised to move towards Makeen. On Shakai-Shrawangai axis,
Shrawangai, Khaisura, Torwam Bridge and key town Kunigram have been
captured. Troops on this axis attacked vital target of Ladha, 8 km ahead
of Kunigram on night of 3/4 November where after intense fighting in the
streets, the town was captured on 5 November, much ahead of scheduled 7
November.
Although the militants put up stiff resistance at each point, however
the resolve and determination of assaulting troops led by officers was
so strong that they had to give in. Rapid successes made by the
brave-hearts have shattered centuries-old myth of invincibility of
tribesmen of this region. Terrorists are failing and will fail because
they are fighting for a wrong cause and at the behest of foreign powers.
Huge caches of arms, ammunition, explosives, suicide jackets and
material required for suicide jackets have been seized; chemical
factories making IEDs taken over. Five truckloads of Indian origin arms,
ammunition, medical equipment and literature have been apprehended from
Shrawangai. One laptop of 1000 GB with external drive containing all
sorts of data, training lessons, and videos of criminal activities of
so-called Taliban recovered. Tunnels laden with armaments in hundreds
have been discovered in captured areas. One of the tunnels in Kotkai is
500 meters long. These tunnels were in use for treating injured, for
rest and refitting, for training and hiding suicide bombers and for
making escape good. Although border security check posts along
Afghan-Pakistan border have been deviously vacated by US-Nato troops
with sinister objectives at a crucial time when operation had just
begun, no RAW-RAAM agent would like to jump into boiling cauldron of SWA.
If they come they are sure to die a horrible death. Afghan Taliban have
categorically stated that they would abide by their policy of not
confronting Pak Army. Terrorists from other militant groups linked with
TTP outside the battle zone are now in no position to come to the aid of
beleaguered Taliban. They would otherwise not like to get sucked into
killing area and get killed. Ongoing suicide attacks are being
undertaken by those who had been already launched from SWA in September,
or by other banned groups linked with TTP, or by RAW-RAAM trained
suicide bombers and terrorists. Several RAW agents have been caught in
last few days. Possibility of involvement of Blackwater elements in
terrorist activities in major cities of Punjab , NWFP and Islamabad
cannot be ruled out.
Successful completion of Rah-e-Nijat would certainly help in curbing
terrorism to a great extent but as long as six foreign agencies in Kabul
busy hatching conspiracies and launching covert operations against
Pakistan do not wind up their offices and return to their respective
homes, terrorism would not get eliminated. Likewise, as long as our
rulers follow US friendly and anti-people policies and do not address
root causes, terrorists would keep multiplying. Now that Indian role in
destabilizing Pakistan has been thoroughly exposed, it is to be seen
whether US Administration would continue to play a double game by
defending India and pressing Pakistan to continue doing more and more.
New battlegrounds will be created to keep the army bogged down.
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