The Pakistan Army is closing in on South Waziristan, the stalking ground of Tehrik-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.
In recent days, the military has been using airstrikes, artillery and blockades to attack suspected hide-outs and training camps in the tribal agency in an effort to weaken Mehsud’s position before launching a full-scale attack. The authorities also turned a blind eye to tribal infighting, in the hope that Mehsud’s rival Qari Zainuddin would compromise Mehsud’s strength and position, thereby facilitating a military attack.
Meanwhile, suspected US missile strikes have been targeting militant commanders stationed in the tribal agency.
What do you think the best strategy for toppling the Taliban leadership in South Waziristan is? Should the army launch a full-scale offensive, backed by US strikes? Or should the military encircle Taliban hide-outs in an effort to capture Mehsud and other militant commanders? How can the army prevent Taliban leaders from escaping into Afghanistan or regrouping in an adjacent tribal area? Can this final showdown between the army and militants succeed?
Taliban will only understand the language of force. Must be encircled and each and everyone of them should be killed. There is no need to put these animals on trial.
I think army should refrain from using the same tactics again to create another lashker to fight taliban. As far as strategy is concern i thing they are doing reasonably well.
Our military is poised for a definite victory.
I hope that a decisive action is under way for a final showdown.
The best strategy would be to encircle the mehsud’s hideouts, as it would facilitate a logical end of the game.
Once apprehended, the militants would have to go through a tough interrogation, disclosing more leads and clues towards solving the mystery.
Subsequent to his capture, Mehsud would not be able to regroup, because that is highly unlikely.
Pakistan Army could take care of this situation without any help from the NATO forces.
However, Government of Pakistan should provide the Army and the Air force with the required funding and a continuous supply of the most modern weaponry and state of the art technology to defuse the enemy-power.
All the options should be on the table, this is the war for our survival as a country. Beside full-scale offensive with traditional weapons, we should keep the Nuclear option open as well. I believe we have tactical nuclear weapons at our hands, with radiation limited to small geographical area.
There is noting productive coming from these areas, no input to our GDP….what a waste!
Honesty is the answer.
You Aid them, feed them, train them and pretend as fighting them???
Where are we heading? are we honest to the people of Pakistan or rather are we honest to ourselves?
A big question to be answered by Politicians and Army.
Only pakistani and pakistan army should decide and act in this region
Instead of frothing at their mouths at the supposed defilement of Pakistan’s sovereignity by the Drone attacks the opinion makers of the country should advocate that the Pakistani intelligence pin point the location of Mehsud and the American Drones eliminate him. How is it possible that the Pakistani army cannot attack him when he openly talks to the reporters who can only be considered as taitors to the country.
If strategy is to topple or kill Taliban leadership only, surely in near future Pak army will succeed. But real questions remain, which are still unanswered. Basically its war of ideologies, therefore death of few leaders will make no difference. Taliban could be wrong, but they are very clear in their ideology and in their mission, opposite is ture of their rivals.
In the first place, all the civilians in SWA need to be moved out to safe areas and then Pakistan in joint collaboration with the US will have to soften up targets, ie US drones precisely targeting taliban militants and pakistani air force jets and bombers pounding the taliban positions.taliban can defeat any invading force but for enemy’s air power they have no reply.batlle for waziristan should be predominanately fought from the air and land invasion should come when taliban have been inflicted irreversible damage. Air power should come first n decide the eventual outcome of war,it because it is waziristan, a place like no other ,the land of invincible Mahsoods,the most warlike of all pashtoon tribes.any land invasion without air support will end in defeat and sursunder in SWA.what we are facing there are the most formidable foes,who have bled pakistan white.now in tackling them we should show no mercy.even some kind of nerve gase or chemical weapons can also be used.
Our Pakistan Army must seek help from U.S to fight these terrorists (I request media to stop calling them as extremist and millitants and simply name them as Terrorists please). There is nothing wrong to ask help from US also their military help. There is nothing wrong if we ask U.S soldiers to come and join this Great War on Terror and wipe them out from each and every cities.
The US should go from one side and the Pakistan army should come from the other end. Take them all out – no prisoners please. (Thanks God US is also against the Taliban otherwsie the Pakistani government had neither the will nor the resources)
This scourge of humanity should be wiped off from the surface of the God’s earth.
Once the Taliban are eradicated the people of Pakistan should move forward with politcial reforms so these type of movements never develop in the future. At this time we dont have the luxury to wait for reforms to kick in. The taliban are hell bent on destroying Pakistan and Islam. The taliban are not only NOT muslims they are NOT even human beings.
The army should launch a full-scale offensive, backed by US strikes in one hand and on the other the Government should ban all the madrasas and religious organisations and start a revamping of its educational systems.There should be one educational system and any person who is interested to learn about Fiqh or other theological subjects can always does so at a higher level after high school. The muslims of Pakistan should get into the real world and not live 1200 centuries back. There is no other way out.
Sri Lanka just gave us a very good example of what to do.
We have enough armored units and air support to acheive what the Sri Lankans did.
But we need to make sure that all escape routed are closed with heavy forces.
Either these people should live like the rest of Paksitani’s or should migrate to another country (that is if anyone will accept them). As a third alternative their lives are dedicated to going to heaven. Maybe we should facilitate them in achieving their objectives a little early.
They pay no taxes, produce nothing, export nothing, use the country’s resouces without feeling obligated, use the mainland for commerce, spread drugs and guns for their good, and to boot it all act arrogant as if this is their bithright by the virtue of just being a tribal. In short they contribute nothing to Pakistan’s well being. I doubt that they will be missed…
If the nation does not have the heart for what must be done, then certainly we can errect a few hundered miles of fortified walls along Mehsud’s territory, seal the area completely, and cut of all commerce/water/food/electricity.
They can practice their religion/Jehad on themselves and sooner or later they will kill each other anyway.
The one thing that should not be allowed is to have any agreement/treaty with them. They will break all promises/treaties the minute they are ready to regroup…..
I am sure Pak army knows all of this, they and the politicians need the support of the public in doing what must be done to save the country…
The best strategy can be developed by one who are trained to do that, i don’t think without knowing the exact situation any one can come up with the workable strategy and a plan to implement that.
We as people has duty to stand behind ones who are ensuring the security of the nation.
I find it really amusing that editor of this forum comes up with such ridiculous topic.
Tit for tat with these terrorists….
They behead our beloved soldiers, do the same to them…no trials no courts, enough is enough. There is no Geneva rule applied when soldiers are captured then why these terrorists be given such protection.
Pakistani citizens are long waiting for this cancer to be rid off and its about time army had started taking real action.
As far as i am concerned there is only one strategy Brute Force!
First of all border should be sealed between Pakistan and Afghanistan ,then blow the caves out with heavy artillery –move the troops back and bomb the running Talibans from Air !
God will insha Allah make our troops winner of the war and take Taliban back to hell from where they came !!
Mehsud’s method of warfare is characterized by two fundamental components: decentralized action carried out by small, low signature forces, with localized objectives of hitting, exhausting, and disrupting military operations; and concealment, intended mainly to thwart the Army’s ability to employ its conventional power. The use of this method requires that his forces be located in familiar territory and receive assistance from the local civilian infrastructure and population.
While the military may appear to make gains in the short term it may not be able to hold the territory for any major length of time. The Army must have a graceful exit strategy if it plans on launching an operation as it may lead to a long drawn resource intensive war with NO END in insight.
Once an unpalatable comment comes to your forum, you remove that if other writers notify to you. Similarly,you have to get rid of terrorists from Pakistan’s life.Only constructive criticism can streamline a system. Be tolerant to that first..You can close your ears by two hands, but you cannot close others mouth with two hands.
Go for the Kill. These people needs to be wiped out who are giving muslims and pakistani bad names all over the world.
The Pakistan Military should launch a full scale air assault using the fighter jets and the Cobra Helicopters on Waziristan.
Before the operation the supply routes of the Taliban needs to be cut off; The area should be isolated and besieged before the operation.
A ground military assault should wait a month of Air strikes atleast for the softening of the targets.
Refugees coming out the Waziristan region should be kept under strict vigilance in seperate camps for keeping under tabs any Taliban elements from infiltrating the Pakistani cities and conducting suicide missions there.
The whole operation must be coordinated with NATO, ISAF and United Sates Military so the the borders of the Waziristan region along PAK-AFGHAN border be sealed.
The Drone attacks on the militants hideouts will greatly help Pakistani Aramy it’s final goal of eliminating the TTP.
BaitUllah Mehsud the purported Killer of Benazir Bhutto and many many innocent Pakistani should be brought to Justice sooner than later.
The suicide bombings in Pakistani cities will not stop until the Taliban and all other militants groups are fully eliminated from the face of the earth.
Sigining peace accords with terrorists, ceeding territory to them, implementing their version of the so called Sharia or justice system has not worked in the past and it will definitely not work in the future.
I don’t think the world is well-informed enough to answer such questions until there is an alternative press in this area. In fact, I’m quite convinced that even the entire first world was able to sustain its ‘development’ for so long only because it got forced to tolerate within itself an alternative press and a viable labor movement.
Our objective should be to eliminate the leadership of Taliban, cut off and block supply of weapons and money, this can be achieved only, when we form a total cooperation and coordinate with NATO forces and Pakistani forces and work together as one team.
We must offer asylum to the deserter from Talibans side, provided they give up their weapons. We must treat them with respect and dignity to encourage others to follow them.
We must offer them training in other fields such as building houses, roads and bridges and other related fields to start a new life in the society and help them rebuild their lives and our cities.
We should not take too much time to rebuild cities and repatriate the IDPs in order to avoid give chance to the terrorist groups to take advantage of frustrated citizens of war torn areas and start another recruitment of new breed of terrorist groups and organizations out of frenzy.
We should help war effected populations to rebuild their houses, schools and colleges in the region to help them with modern education and technical know how. Help them financially and provide them with technical help to build farms. Help individuals to start dairy and animal farming such as chicken farms, goats & cow farms. Provide them with small business loans at relaxed and low interest rates to open businesses such as food storage and transportation of goods. Help individual to open retail stores and small industry including bricks, windows and doors manufacturing, furniture and small appliances industries. North West is blessed with natural beauty. Government must help local and national businesses to help build hotels, restaurant parks ski hills golf clubs etc. to attract tourism in that region.
If we can achieve all these goals immediately, we will avoid fanaticism in the country and help this nation to get on right track. This is the time for our politicians to do the right thing for change and stop wasting money and precious time. We have together came very close to destroy our nation for our selfishness.
Our armed forces are doing the most difficult task, which is fighting enemy within. They need our help to support them and recognize their sacrifices and start appreciating them.
Politicians and whole nation should change their behavior and patterns of our past, if we want to survive as a nation other wise we are doomed.
We must not depend upon others to help us rebuild our nation, we must change ourselves, we must become self-reliant and self-sufficient and build our pride and dignity. I know we can do anything we set our mind to. So lets do it.
The Pakistan army should use its full strength of 500,000-700,000 men (I doubt that they have even half this number)and finish the job in Swat and Tribal areas in one go. You should use overwheming force and show these terrorists who they are dealing with.
The army is using so few men that soldiers are dying for nothing as they have to fight these terrorists thugs with so few men.
It is about time that the army showed its numbers as people are geting fed up with feeding an army that is never seen. Where are they?
i would like the pakistan army to locate him whether he is on a mobile or any other communication and take him alive if he is not in wazirstan. If in wazirstan after bombing he survives and fights then he should also be captured.
Also the wazirstan taliban will probably get bombed by f16 and jf17 planes and the army should try to bomb all the hideouts before they go in and then call in airstrikes against heavy defence by taliban.
The other thing is suicide bombers he will send some and army should capture them.
fazullah should be captured and put in jail for the rest of his life and asked to tell who paid him to sell swat down the river.
Also the pakistan army should not tolerate any taliban and tell them to disband. the lashkars of the tribes should be offered jobs in police and frontier corp.
They can also use surveillance equipment to check the entire area similar to that which is being to commit crime to check for taliban.