On the directions of government, the Armed Forces of Pakistan launched a comprehensive operation against foreign and local terrorists who are hiding in sanctuaries in North Waziristan (NW). The operation has been named Zarb-e-Azb”. Azb was the name of the sword of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), more than 400 militants have been killed. Many factories of IEDs have also been demolished during the ongoing full-fledged operation. Troops have recovered many underground tunnels and IED preparation factories inside the area that has been cleared so far.Pakistan’s warplanes and helicopter gunships have targeted militant hideouts in North Waziristan as a part of the military offensive. Helicopter gunships destroyed militants’ communication centre’s established on hilltops towards the east of North Waziristan’s headquarters Miranshah.
Goals & targets
The major goals of this operation are to eliminate militant hideouts, sanctuaries, arms storage and training centres of different terrorist groups. The main targets are Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Punjabi Taliban, East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Al-Qaeda.
Well-planned operation
The ongoing Zarb-e-Azb appears to be one of the most fastidiously planned, targeted and a limited operation. Uzbeks and terrorists are the two prime targets. Moreover, the TTP, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and anti-Pakistan al-Qaeda elements are the three targeted entities. In the current scenario, there are three wildcards: Hafiz Gul Bahadar, Mullah Nazir and the Haqqani Network. The general timeline of the operation can be affected by decisions of these wildcards.
Cordoned-off terrorist sanctuaries
In the beginning the army cordoned off terrorist sanctuaries situated in Mir Ali and Miramshah. Surrender points, for those willing to lay down their arms, were established. The Fata Disaster Management Authority was active in setting up IDP camps, registration centres and transportation facilities for safe evacuation of the local population.
Coordinated efforts
Coordinated efforts are being carried out and elements of I Corps, II Corps, X Crops and XI Corps are in place monitoring all exit and entry points leading into South Waziristan Agency (SWA), Bannu, Hangu, Kurram and Karak. The Afghan National Army (ANA) has been requested to seal off entry points into Paktia, Khost and Paktika. Aerial surveillance is out in full force.
First phase
According to security officials the first phase of the operation would tackle Miranshah, the village of Machees, Mir Ali, the village of Mosaki, and the Dosali area near the town of Razmak. North Waziristan is also home to the Haqqani Network, a deadly Afghan insurgent group that has used the area as a haven for decades which is now under heavy attack from the Pakistani army.
Pakistan military has been planning this mission from last few months. After a lot of deliberation and homework they have finally launched a full-fledged operation against militants in NWA.
Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army is equipped with Cobra gunship helicopters, JF Thunders, F-16 aircraft, Surveillance drones, long range artillery, Main Battle Tanks and night vision capabilities.Pakistan Army’s special services group (SSG) will also be part of this operation. All these capabilities are essential in counter insurgency warfare.
Significant role of SSG commandos
The SSG commandos have played an important role in the success of previous military operations. It is expected that SSG would play a key role in this mission. If we analyze capabilities of Pakistan Army, then we can say that there is no match between Pak-Army and TTP led militants in NWA. Pakistan’s ground forces with the close air support of Gunship helicopters would be a lethal combination. The ultimate retreat of these militant groups would be towards Afghanistan.
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif visited the Air Force Headquarters and called on Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt. During the meeting progress of the ongoing operation Zarb-e-Azb was reviewed and matters of mutual interest were also discussed.
Afghan Ambassador Janan Mosazai and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif discussed the ongoing operation in the North Waziristan Agency (NWA) at the General Headquarters. According to the ISPR, matters of mutual interest including measures to improve security along the Pak-Afghan border also came under discussion.
South Waziristan Operation
On October 17, 2009, some 28,000 Pak Army soldiers, including 500 SSG undertook an extremely methodical three-pronged attack. Due to Pak Army’s operation, TTP’s resistance was badly marginalized.
| Number of Days (Operation) | Details |
| Three days | Pak Army had secured Kotkai. |
| Sixth day | Extended its security perimeter north of Sherwangi. |
| 10th day | Secured Gharlai, Shaga and Sharakai Sar heights in the Nawazkot area overlooking the Nawazkot-Makeen Road. |
| Within 15 days | Cleared Nawazkot and reached Makeen. |
| 33rd day | Occupied 80 percent of South Waziristan. |
Source: Different Newspapers & Research Studies
Prime Minister’s address
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressed Parliament and told lawmakers that the military operation would continue until its logical conclusion. He said the decision to launch the military operation was taken after consultation with all stakeholders including the Army. He also urged religious leaders to help eradicate terrorism from Pakistan, adding that terrorism had affected every aspect of Pakistani society and could not be allowed to continue. Earlier Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had attempted to negotiate a peace deal with the Pakistani Taliban, but that effort reached a stalemate in recent weeks and collapsed in the wake of Karachi airport attack. PM Nawaz also visited Corps Headquarters where he was received by Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif and Corps Commander Peshawar Lt. Gen. Khalid Rabbani where they both thoroughly discussed the ongoing military operation and IDPs.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif discussed developments on military operation with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Special Pakistani envoy Mehmood Khan Achakzai, chief of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and Member National Assembly also visited Kabul and discussed security cooperation with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and sought help from him in order to win the war against terror.
Formation of National Cabinet Coordination Committee (NCCC)
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is also overseeing the operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ and concerned affairs. The committee would meet on regular basis and would keep the Prime Minister informed about the progress of operation besides coordinating on relevant developments.
The committee will also coordinate with different institutions to oversee internally displaced persons (IDPs) issue. The members of the committee will include ministers for Interior, Defence, Information, Planning, and Safron along with representatives of KP government. Federal secretaries for Interior, Finance, chief secretary KP, chairman of National Disaster Management Authority, Chief of General Staff (CGS)/director general of Military Operations, director general ISI-c and ISPR DG will be the members.
Defense Minister’s statement
Defense minister says there will be no timeframe for military operation and troops will not leave until the area is scrubbed off militants. Pakistan launched fresh airstrikes on North Waziristan, where it has deployed up to 30,000 troops in a long-awaited offensive to eliminate Taliban and Al Qaeda militants.
Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched a week after a brazen attack on Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, which left 28 people dead and rang the death knell for a troubled peace process.
Armed Forces assurance
The armed forces would ensure that the tribal regions had been rubbed of militants. Using North Waziristan as a base, these terrorists have waged a war against the state of Pakistan and have been disrupting our national life in all its dimensions, stunting economic growth and causing enormous loss of life and property. Terrorists have also paralyzed life within the agency and have perpetually terrorized the entire peace loving and patriotic local population. The Pakistan Army also urged all militants to give up their arms and surrender at specially designated camps to avoid violence.
Strategic isolation of North Waziristan
The military said that it had isolated North Waziristan by deploying troops to seal off its boundaries with other parts of Pakistan and its border with Afghanistan. Cordons were also thrown around the two main towns of Mir Ali and Miranshah. The government of Pakistan officially requested the government of Afghanistan to seal the porous Pakistan-Afghanistan border which foreign fighters including Chechens, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Tajiks and Uighurs have crossed in recent weeks. The area bordering Afghanistan is believed to harbor militants both local and foreign, including members of Al Qaeda, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Arabs and Chechens. The first U.S. drone attacks this year killed 16 militants. Furthermore, Pakistan has once again urged Afghan authorities to arrest Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah, who is hiding in Afghanistan.
More than 600,000 people have fled North Waziristan to the adjoining areas. The government has established a refugee camp on the border of Bannu district and North Waziristan.
Ground operation
Air strikes by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter aircraft and the army’s gunship security forces launched a ground offensive in the restive North Waziristan tribal region. The ground offensive started at the Machis Camp, a residential locality comprising 1,200 mud-houses, near the regional headquarters of Miranshah. The Machis Camp was meant for the Afghan refugees when they migrated to Pakistan after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. The Machis Camp had become a stronghold of local and foreign militants, who used it to organise terrorist attacks in the country.
Historical perspective
Success of ongoing military operation Zarb-e-Azb and complete elimination of terrorists from all parts of country is crucial because previously conducted small and big eight operations were either partially successful or situation got worse/deteriorated after completion of the operation and said areas never became totally peaceful.
| Name of the Operation | Period | Details |
| Enduring Freedom | 2001-02 | It was partially successful in its prime objectives of overthrowing the Taliban regime and capturing some supporters of Al Qaeda. |
| Al-Mizan | 2002-06 | It continued against militants in selected parts of NWA with different intensities at different times. It had a very high casualty rate and armed forces had to lose many precious lives as one objective of operations was to save civilians. |
| Rah-e-Haq | Nov 2007 | It was launched in 2007 and basic objective of its first phase was to tackle the TNSM in Swat valley. |
| Zalzala | Jan-May 2008 | It was carried out in Spinkai, SWA, concluded with mixed results as the army had successfully captured the area, but it did not succeed in capturing or killing the Qari Hussain, the main objective of the operation. |
| Rah-e-Rast | 2007-09 | It was an offensive against barbaric Taliban militants in Mingora, Swat. Operation |
| Sher Dil | Sept 2009 | It was launched by Pak Army in Bajour Agency to target all militant groups which were a threat to Pakistan security. |
| Rah-e-Nijat | 2009-10 | It was launched against militants in South Waziristan. Gunship helicopters and aircraft were used. |
| Koh-e-Sufaid | 2008-11 | It continued from 2008 to 2011. It had many objectives including elimination of Taliban militants and reopening of Thall-Parachinar Road which consistently remained under attack of Taliban. However, problems remained in the area. |
Source: Different Newspapers & Research Papers
Concluding remarks
Zarb-e-Azb was launched to manage the looming crises confronting to our national survival in shape of militancy, terrorism, extremism, sectarianism and violence. Now it is an essential imperative to win the battle of survival on both fronts i.e. ground and psychological. The ongoing military operation has already crippled TTP capabilities.
Operation Zarb-e-Azb was needed and lot more is needed to be done. We have to stop criticising the state and armed forces in order to eliminate the ideological confusions. The military operation in North Waziristan was the first step in the right direction to eliminate terrorism. We need to win this war as North Waziristan had become an epicenter of terrorism for the region.
It has multiplier effects on civility, economics, society, politics and regional power game. The army and the government of Pakistan are at on same page and vultures of power politics must be ashamed for their conspiratorial activities in the country. Zarb-e-Azb is a national campaign to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the country and politics on this may spoil its long term repercussions. Political rallies and processions in support of armed forces of Pakistan is a healthy sign but it should not be used for toppling the government.
Sleeper cells in urban areas must be dismantled through collective information sharing. In the past, successive governments had made no effort to prepare government departments and coordinate among them to respond in the times of crisis which needs to be institutionalized. It is the result of so many research studies/papers that states which tend to be successful in their wars against terrorism are usually those who figure out the core reasons for insurgencies in their countries. Moreover, no state wins the war against insurgency/terrorism if it is unable to win the war of narrative between the state and the insurgents. Unless, the state wins the war of narrative no sustainable peace can be achieved in the country. Sincere efforts ought to be made to win the war of narrative.
The government of Pakistan needs to tackle terrorism within its borders and find the right balance between force and talks with TTP in addition to Pakistan’s strategic outlook and internal security problems. If Pakistan wishes to solve the problems of terrorism permanently as the military is fighting in tribal areas to close the floodgates of terrorism and the real game is taking place in the cities of Pakistan. Pakistan’s police and criminal justice system do not have a good past record of capturing terrorists and convicting them. A long term solution to terrorism involves better capacity for police and criminal justice system, state winning the war of narrative and the institutionalization of moderation in field of life to shape public opinion against insurgents/terrorists.
The principle of unity and strength is the primary basis of peace and happiness in the society and the nation especially in the war. Ongoing military operation in the NW against the TTP and other foreign militants Zarb-e-Azb is not another military operation. It is couched in the context of negotiations, ceasefires and serious TTP infighting and the most recently Karachi Airport attack.
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