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Complete pullout from FATA not on the cards
PESHAWAR: Pakistan does not plan a complete withdrawal of troops from its Tribal Areas despite fears of an Indian attack, government officials told Daily Times on Saturday. "The Frontier Corps will stay to guard the border (with Afghanistan) and troops from the 11 Corps will continue to back up the frontline force," the officials said.
The 11 Corps will stay safely tucked in garrison and let the FC troops pretend to fight the Talibs. It's an arrangement that suits everyone ...
Brigades from other corps will go back to defend Pakistan against a possible Indian aggression, they said.

Pakistan had deployed more than 100,000 soldiers to sit in garrison battle Al Qaeda and Taliban in FATA after confidence-building measures with India eased tensions on the eastern border. But after the tensions soared again following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last month, Pakistan on Friday reportedly began moving about 20,000 troops to the border with India.

Before the troop redeployment began, the military had studied the impact of the move on national security and if the Taliban could use the opportunity to regain land after the army pulled out. "We studied how Baitullah Mehsud will use the opportunity," the officials said. "We are not ready to take any risks with Baitullah."
And no need, since Baitullah already controls all of Swat ...
Regional military commanders secured 'guarantees' from Ahmedzai Wazir elders in South Waziristan they would not allow Baitullah Mehsud or foreign terrorists to take advantage of the decreased troop presence near the border with Afghanistan.

Tribal elders told Daily Times by telephone from Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan, that a 21-member Ahmedzai Wazir peace committee met local military commanders to discuss the tensions with India and the likely troop readjustment. "We have been told by military they need a readjustment of troops and asked the Ahmedzai Wazirs to guarantee peace in the area in case some of the soldiers are sent to the eastern front," the elders said on condition of anonymity.
And that's that. They couldn't guarantee peace last week but now they can. The Indians should rattle the saber more often ...
"We have told the military it should fight on the eastern front and leave the security of the western border to the tribesmen, or allow us to go to the eastern border for Pakistan's defence," the Ahmedzai Wazir elders said after meeting the military commanders. They said the Ahmedzai Wazir tribes would sacrifice their lives to keep Baitullah Mehsud or any foreign terrorists away from the western border.

According to the officials, troops from Swat have been redeployed after fighting for more than a year, but they said the soldiers would be replaced with reinforcements. "We cannot leave Swat at this juncture as the militants will step up their brutality and kill the civilians," the officials said.
Swat is lost. The Talibs have ordered the little girls not to go to school. All this is window-dressing ...

Posted by: Steve White 2008-12-28
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=258292