Ground offensive gets started
ISLAMABAD — More than 30,000 Pakistani soldiers launched a major ground offensive in the main al-Qaida and Taliban stronghold along the Afghan border early Saturday, officials told The Associated Press — the nuclear-armed U.S. ally's toughest test yet against militants aiming to topple the state.
The offensive in South Waziristan follows months of airstrikes intended to soften up militant defenses that have also forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee. The full-scale operation also comes after two weeks of militant attacks that have killed more than 175 people across Pakistan and ramped up the pressure on the army to take on the insurgents.
It is the army's fourth attempt since 2001 to dislodge Taliban fighters from lawless tribal region of South Waziristan, and an intelligence official said the latest effort could take up to two months. The three previous attempts ended in negotiated truces that left the Taliban in control.
The offensive is expected to focus on ridding the region of the Pakistani Taliban, a network opposed to the U.S.-backed Pakistani government. The group's influential leader, Baitullah Mehsud, died in a U.S. missile strike in August. But South Waziristan also is home to foreign and local jihadis suspected of planning attacks on U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan and targets throughout the West.
The U.S. is racing to send night-vision goggles and other equipment to aid the operation.
Local resident Ajmal Khan said people in his town, Makeen, heard the sounds of battle and were terrified but could not leave their homes due to a curfew. Makeen is a key hideout for Taliban militants.
"We heard sounds of planes and helicopters early Saturday. Then we heard blasts. We are also hearing gunshots and it seems the army is exchanging fire with Taliban," Khan told AP via telephone.
South Waziristan is remote and mountainous. It has a porous border with Afghanistan and fiercely independent tribes who have long resisted government interference. With winter snows just weeks away, the army has limited time to pursue ground attacks. Even if it does manage to wipe out its intended targets, it's unclear whether troops will try to occupy the area to prevent the militants from returning. Even if the operation is successful, many could escape to Afghanistan or other parts of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt.
The officials Saturday — two with intelligence, three with the government and one senior army official — gave few details but said the troops were pursuing militants holed up in the region, including in major trouble spots such as Makeen and Ladha towns.
The army has sent more than 30,000 troops to the region to participate in the combat.
