Pakistani Military Takes Strategic Hilltop Overlooking Swat
The Pakistani military has announced that it has taken the strategic hilltop of Biny Baba Ziarat that overlooks the Swat Valley. Some 150 Taliban were said to be killed in the hard fighting, in which they put up strong resistance even though the Pakistani military deployed helicopter gunships and much heavier firepower than the Taliban could muster.
Perhaps stung by charges that it has exaggerated its conquests in Swat and nearby areas, the Pakistani military invited Aljazeera English to film the now-subdued hilltop.
In Biny Baba Ziarat and elsewhere on Friday, the Pakistani military claimed to have killed 17 militants, while suffering 10 injuries among its security forces.
The US military says it has seen signs of Afghan guerrillas heading for Pakistan, likely to join up with Mawlana Fazlullah and the Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan and fight the Pakistani army.
Meanwhile, in Taliban fighters are said to have withdrawn from 75% of Lower Dir near Swat as a result of an agreement reached with a local tribal council.
Tom Engelhardt's essay on the six ways the US war in AfPak is being expanded is not to be missed. See other recent essays at Tomdispatch, always essential reading.
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posted by Juan Cole @ 5/23/2009 12:03:00 AM
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4 Comments:
Hummmm---
This stuff makes me feel old. I remember when the Americans would capture hilltops and other tactical objectives during the Viet Nam war.
But as the Vietnamese enjoy pointing out, it was all irrelevant.
Personally, I prefer to think about the process of modernization and nation building in Pakistan and Afghanistan. What would that look like and how would the people think about those kinds of processes and outcomes.
For example, how can diverse rural groups articulate their interests and how can the government recruit support and what would reduce the severe impact of factions?
Actually, I have a strong hunch that the modernization process is an important underlying cause of the tensions and conflict.
Bob Spencer
Very good article by Tom Englehardt. He ends with the question "what then?" Well, here are a couple: Predator strikes in Baluchistan (of which several have already occurred, I recall) could cause Baluch and Pathan to unit in opposition to Pakistan and US conventional forces and add a very stront political sepratist element to the melange; and, continued US frustration at perceived Pakistani military non-progress could lead to deployment of US units...say a regimental combat team..."in support of Pakistani units at the request of the Pakistani government." I wouldn't be at all surprised if this latter hadn't been under sustained consideration already.
From Tom's writings: "The general has reportedly long thought of Afghanistan and Pakistan as a single battlefield, which means that he was a premature adherent to the idea of an Af-Pak -- that is, expanded -- war."
I was a 'premature understander' that this is, and was from it's inception, intended to be a regional war for extractive resources.
What's more, if we actually LOSE the AfPakiGanisRaqi wars, we'll just go after Africa... With a somewhat similar mix of natural resources.
Tom's insinuation that Rumsfeld was attempting a sort of CIA 'putch' on the US military is possible, but I think, even for a generation raised on "24"' torture is OK as long as the 'wite hats' are doing it ethic and us/them video games, is a stretch, at least in probability of it actually 'playing out'.
I wouldn't doubt for a second that Rumsfeld & Co (Doug Feith from the OSP etc) thought it possible.
Doug Feith also thought the war in Iraq would be over in what? A couple of months...
OTOH, I also believe they're ALL reptilian aliens from another dimension, and like earthbound reptiles, if they want it, they just go for it... reactive brained, with human methodology and zero ethics.
My $0.02c
There is no sense that I can find in reports of what is actually happening beyond the refugees. How severe is the fighting, does anyone have a sense? Will the fighting go on interminably?
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