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Pakistan claims situation normal in Miranshah
What's the expansion of SNAFU again?
Fighting died down Sunday between security forces and pro-Taliban militants who had temporarily taken over a northwestern town in Pakistan's troubled tribal belt, the army's spokesman said.

Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said the militants had fled the government buildings as of Sunday. He discounted any suggestion that the temporary takeover of Miran Shah, near the Afghan border, indicated that the militants are gaining strength.

"We should not get over-excited and overly concerned about the situation," he said.

The two-day clash, which coincided with the visit of President Bush to Pakistan, was the most serious fighting in years in the North Waziristan region, where armed and independent tribes have long resisted government control. It highlights the difficulties that Pakistan's 80,000 troops face in the semi-autonomous tribal areas as they try to hunt for militants. Most people here are Pashtun, the same as the Taliban, and often are more sympathetic to Taliban members than to the Pakistani armed forces. Al-Qaida members also have found refuge here.

In the past week, both Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have renewed pressure on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to fight terrorism. Afghan officials have frequently accused Pakistan of failing to stop militants from crossing the border into Afghanistan, ruled by the Taliban until late 2001.

On Sunday, Sultan said it was complicated to try to stamp out militants. "The border is porous," he said. "The militants do keep coming and going."

This weekend's battle started in retaliation for an earlier strike by Pakistani security forces. On Wednesday morning, Pakistani forces destroyed a militant camp near the village of Saidgi, just west of Miran Shah. At least 45 militants, including 35 foreigners, were killed, Sultan said.

Other militants vowed revenge. The government tried to persuade tribal elders to intervene, but the militants threatened the elders, Sultan said.

He said the militants were linked to two local clerics, including Maulvi Abdul Khaliq, who last week called for a jihad, or holy war, against Pakistan's army.

On Saturday morning, Khaliq demanded that authorities stop killing innocent people in military operations. Over mosque loudspeakers and speakers mounted on pickup trucks, Khaliq urged local elders to protest the Saidgi operation by stopping all contact with the local government, The Associated Press reported.

Small groups of armed militants came into Mirah Shah and took over several government buildings, training their weapons at the nearby army camp, Sultan said. They forced shops to close and disabled the local phone network.

The militants started firing rockets and heavy weapons from three spots in the hills and from the government buildings, Sultan said. Security forces fired back.

Nearby, other militants attacked a security forces convoy. At least 46 militants and five security forces were killed in the fighting, Sultan said.

"Our action has been highly targeted," he said. "It was precise."

But a parliamentary member from Peshawar, the closest major city to Miran Shah, demanded an independent probe.

"I feel this is the present government killing innocent people without any reason," said Maulana Abdul Malik, a member of the leading Islamist political party. "In the last two months, they've killed more than 150 people. These are not al-Qaida."

It is difficult to assess what is actually happening in the Miran Shah area. Foreign journalists are not allowed there, and most local journalists have left.
Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-03-06
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=144606