Swat operation has ‘bleak’ chance of achieving success: US expert

August 3rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Wali of Swat, Miangul Aurangzeb, foresees no chance of a lasting peace returning to the Swat Valley for decades to come. The octogenarian, who would have been ruling Swat had it not been merged with Pakistan in 1969, feels extremely sorry for the horrific events that the people of this region have faced and how 'law-enforcement agencies have let it happen'.

July 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Raising questions over the success of the Swat military offensive, US Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke has said it is unclear whether the Taliban has really been hit hard in the operation. Talking to media persons after returning from his visit to Pakistan and Afghanistan here, Holbrooke said Washington is yet to ascertain whether scores of Taliban insurgents are actually being killed, as claimed by the Pakistan Army, or have they just scattered away only to recoil later.

July 21st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani security forces have killed at least 114 Taliban militants in two separate operation in Lower Dir and Swat regions, while three army officials have also lost their lives, a private TV channel has claimed. During the operation, troops managed to destroyed many bunkers and hideouts in Lower Dir, after they targeted the headquarters.

July 4th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Army has named Maj. Gen. Ashfaq Nadeem to command the Swat operation against the Taliban, a media report said Saturday.

June 27th, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the military operation in the Swat Valley is nearing end as the top rung militants there have been killed and the government would now focus on the development of the region, the Online News Agency said Saturday. He made the remarks while inaugurating a Textile City here.

June 7th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan's political and defence analyst Ejaz Haider has predicted that the Pakistan Army would soon launch a military operation in Waziristan, the "centre of gravity" for the Taliban. The Daily Times quoted Haider as saying that the military operation is inevitable, as it is essential to neutralize the Taliban's power in the tribal agencies of North and South Waziristan.

June 4th, 2009 PESHAWAR - The Pakistan Army might be claiming success in its operation in the Swat Valley, but a large number of people, who have been forced to flee the region due to the military operation, have put a question mark over the offensive, saying no key Taliban leader has been nabbed or killed so far. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who have fled the valley and have taken refuge in government schools here, are skeptical about the authenticity of the military offensive, The Daily Times reports.

May 27th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan security forces Wednesday said they killed 12 more militants in the ongoing operation against Taliban in northwest valley of Swat. Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said one soldiers was also killed and three others wounded during the firefight with the insurgents.

May 26th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's military operation in the Swat Valley is in full swing, which resulted in killing of 29 militants in last 24 hours. The Taliban is trying to flee the areas and the operation in Swat valley is making headway successfully, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Syed Sumsam Ali Bukhari, said.

May 24th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan Muslim League-Qaid (PML-Q) Chief Chaudhury Shujaat Hussain has blamed India for the Swat military operation. Addressing a press conference here, Hussain called India as 'conspirator-in-chief' of the Swat operation, and asked the entire nation to stand behind the armed forces.

May 24th, 2009 LONDON - Britain has supported Pakistan military's 'vital' drive against the Taliban and other extremists in the Swat Valley, amid reports about the troops storming into Mingora, the main town of the Valley. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the United Kingdom was committed to the success of the operation, and urged the international community to support Islamabad in the on-going struggle "The Pakistan government is engaged in a vital drive to assert its authority over extremist militants who have rejected Pakistan's constitution, parliament and judiciary.The UK is committed to the success and prosperity of Pakistan and it is right that we, and the whole international community, should support this effort," The Dawn quoted Brown, as saying.

May 21st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's religious leaders have strongly criticized the Swat offensive, saying innocent civilians are being killed in the operation, and added that even India has never adopted such measures in Kashmir. "It is not correct to target the whole population for the pursuance of few terrorists and even the Indian forces never adopted such measures in occupied Kashmir," the former Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmad said.

May 21st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's religious leaders have strongly criticized the Swat offensive, saying innocent civilians are being killed in the operation, and added that even India has never adopted such measures in Kashmir. "It is not correct to target the whole population for the pursuance of few terrorists and even the Indian forces never adopted such measures in occupied Kashmir," the former Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami Hussain Ahmad said.

May 18th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan has said the government will have to give an answer as to what prompted it to initiate a military operation in the Swat Valley when it could have tried restoring peace in the region through dialogue. Talking to media persons here, the cricketer-turned-politician said his party would quiz the government during the all-party conference as to why it considered the Swat operation inevitable.

May 8th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Security forces on Friday claimed that they had killed 24 more militants in Lower Dir and Swat. According to the sources, security personnel targeted terrorist positions in Maidan tehsil of the region killing at least 24 militants.