PAKISTAN plans to arm tens of thousands of anti-Taliban tribal forces in its western border region in the hope - shared by the US military - that the nascent militias can replicate the tribal Awakening movement that proved decisive in the fight against al-Qaeda in Iraq. The militias, called lashkars, will receive AK-47 assault rifles, a purchase arranged during a visit to Beijing by the Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistani officials said.
Many US officials remain sceptical of Pakistan's long-term commitment to fight the Taliban and al-Qaeda, ensconced in the mountains near the border with Afghanistan. But the decision to arm the lashkars, who emerged as organised fighting forces only in recent months, is one of several actions that have led the Pentagon to believe the Pakistani effort has become more aggressive. The Pakistani Army has launched several offensives in Bajaur, one of seven regions in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and in the nearby Swat Valley. According to Pakistani military assessments, more than 800 insurgents were killed in Bajaur operations during August and September, along with nearly 195 government soldiers and 344 civilians.
Last week, after months of Pakistani delays, about 30 US military trainers were permitted to set up operations north of the region, a US official said. The trainers will provide counter-insurgency instruction to Pakistani Army soldiers, who in turn will train members of the Frontier Corps, the government's paramilitary force in the tribal areas. |