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Afghanistan

Daily Evacuation Brief April 13, 2023

2023-04-13

[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS CORRECTION: We incorrectly reported the affiliation of the Resistance Force members who were killed in clashes that occurred in the North recently as members of the National Resistance Front. They were in fact members of the Freedom Front. The mistake was made in the 12 April issue of the Daily Evacuation Brief and a correction will be made. The TAD Staff apologizes for this discrepancy. FAMILY MEMBERS OF POPULAR FREEDOM FRONT COMMANDER ROUNDED UP AND DETAINED – GDI agents conducted search operations in Kabul to find family members and associates of Akmal Amir (recently reported to have been killed in either Parwan or Panjshir). His house was reportedly burned to the ground and approximately 70 of his relatives have been arrested. Unconfirmed reports say that some early morning clashes took place between the Taliban and AFF forces in the city but these have yet to be confirmed. There are also rumors circulating that Amir was not killed. The situation remains highly confusing. CHINA ISSUES ITS POSITION PAPER ON AFGHANISTAN – China used the paper to clarify its bilateral relations with Afghanistan. Three of the key engagement points were focused on terrorism and China spelled out specific concerns over the existence of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement in Afghanistan. The document lashed out at the US and urged US leaders to unfreeze Afghanistan’s international holdings while also warning the US against redeploying military assets to the region. A synopsis of the paper can be accessed HERE. MONEYCHANGER MURDERED IN KHOST – Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a moneychanger in his stall at the exchange market in Khost’s capital on Wednesday. The murder prompted a protest by other money changers who accused the Taliban of not doing enough to protect their businesses. Some even accused the Taliban of participating in schemes to force money changers to issue loans to them that are never paid. The Taliban responded by saying they had assisted in a rescue of a kidnapped money changer earlier in the week and that they had arrested 6 men who (they say) were claiming to be Taliban security forces. There were no casualties reported during the protest. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT BUILDING BURNED IN PANJSHIR – The Directorate of Education building caught fire and burned well into the morning in Panjshir. Local eyewitnesses reported gunfire shortly before the fire occurred. There have been attacks against many schools across the country since the Taliban rose to power and notes have been discovered that appear to criticize secular education while praising Madrassas. It is not clear if the incident in Panjshir involved arson at this time. CONFLICT TRACKER Kabul: A blast was reported at approximately 2030hrs local in the Kart-e Naw neighborhood (Police District 8). Shortly after the blast, reports of gunfire were received. There have been unverified reports that an ISIS-K hideout may have been raided by the Taliban. NEXT 24 HOURS PAKISTAN ON ALERT IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA – Security forces in the Province have been placed on high alert after receiving intelligence that a suicide bomber (Abdullah Badshah Gul) had entered Kurram and may be planning to conduct a suicide attack against the Shiah community in Parachinar. Security forces are actively searching for the man. At-risk Afghans in the area are advised to avoid Shiah community/religious centers while the threat continues. FOREIGN MINISTER’S MEETING TO CONVENE IN UZBEKISTAN TODAY – Officials from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, China, Pakistan, and Russia will open the Fourth Foreign Minister’s Dialogue on Afghanistan in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The Taliban have lobbied extensively to be included in the meetings but the regional powers have not allowed them to participate. Security in Samarkand and Tashkent is said to be extremely tight and there were several security alerts issued over possible ETIM or ISIS-K plans to attempt to disrupt the gathering.

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India-Pakistan

Taliban parades captured Pakistani soldiers in Swat

2007-11-03

By Bill Roggio The situation in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province has grown markedly worse over the past 24 hours. One day after the military claimed to have killed 70 Taliban in Swat and denied its soldiers were captured, the Taliban paraded 48 captured paramilitary soldiers from the Frontier Corps. The captured soldiers surrendered after being surrounded by a large formation of Taliban troops. Upwards of 700 troops surrounded a hilltop in Swat, Dawn reported. The soldiers were airdropped on the hilltop days ago and have been besieged since then. The BBC stated an additional 100 Pakistani troops have deserted in Swat. Last week, Indian intelligence reported the Pakistani military is widely demoralized by the fighting, as well as the abductions and beheadings at the hands of the Taliban and al Qaeda in the Northwest Frontier Province. Taliban attacks against government troops outside the Northwest Frontier Province have also eroded the morale of the Pakistani soldier. Just yesterday, a Taliban suicide bomber struck bus carrying air force personnel in Punjab province, killing at least eight. The fighting in Swat began after a suicide bomber attacked a convoy in the district, killing 30. The BBC also reported the Taliban is openly in control of strategic regions of Swat. “A major business centre on the road that connects Mingora with the tourist resorts of Madyan, Miandam and Kalam, Charbagh is in Taleban control,” the BBC noted. “Taleban militants were seen directing the traffic on the road. There was an air of jubilation among them after the news that Khwazakhela, another important town 27km north of Mingora, had fallen to the militants. One of them was distributing sweets to commuters on the road.” Pakistani military statements concerning the events in the Northwest Frontier Province have not been reliable. Yesterday the Pakistani military denied the soldiers were captured. “But the forces were well-entrenched and well-positioned and they responded with full force, inflicting massive casualties on the militants,” said provincial Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir. “Our reports are that they suffered between 60 and 70 casualties. They were literally running down the hill.” The Taliban claimed it lost seven fighters. When over 300 Pakistani soldiers were captured in South Waziristan, the Pakistani military denied they were captured for several days until the fact could no longer be hidden. The military has also deflated the number of casualties taken in the Northwest Frontier Province.

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India-Pakistan

Mighty Pak army gaining control in troubled Swat areas: minister

2007-11-02

NWFP Home Minister Shahzada Gustasip Khan said on Thursday that security forces had made considerable progress to establish the government’s writ in the troubled areas of Swat district, adding that the security forces only took action in self defence. Not in defense of the citizenry or the laws of the land... He told reporters that the forces were maintaining law and order in Swat. The minister said, “The security forces were showing a maximum restraint to avoid casualties and the loss of property.” He said there was no formal operation going on in Swat, adding that militants took the lead in firing and the security forces only retaliated. Certainly nobody went in with the actual intention of establishing order... He did not rule out the possibility of the involvement of foreign elements behind the unrest in the area. Yeah. Everyone once in awhile y'see one o' them Esquimeaux skulking about. Sometimes it's a Samoan, but you can bet they're up to no good... MMA responsible: He held the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal government’s policies responsible for the ongoing unrest in Swat. “The unrest in Swat has not developed overnight.” He said most people wanted peace in the area and that they were concerned about deteriorating law and order. He said that Sharia courts were already working in the Malakand division, adding that the modus operandi adopted by the militants for the enforcement of Sharia in the district was wrong. He said the militants had an agenda other than the Sharia implementation that was why they were not resorting to dialogue. The "shariah" that's being introduced goes beyond the Soddies' vision of shariah... He rejected reports that the militants had kidnapped a foreign journalist and captured a Frontier Constabulary checkpost. "Nope. Nope. Never happened." He said the government was mobilising jirgas and peace committees to discourage the elements fanning hatred in the province. But they're unable or unwilling to shut down the illegal FM stations, which are easy enough to find and demolish. The minister said the government would welcome the former NWFP chief minister’s role to restore peace in the area. NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir said the security forces would stop the broadcast of a radio station run by militant leader Maulana Fazullah once they reach the area from where the station was being operated. Interesting admission of incompetence. You can locate that station within an hour to within a hundred feet using some relatively unsophisticated equipment on an aircraft. The equipment required to produce the kaboom is even less sophisticated, though it should probably be carried on a separate aircraft. For a sufficiently filthy amount of lucre I could even put that little project together for them using (relatively) off the shelf equipment.

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India-Pakistan

Around 70 militants killed in Swat

2007-11-02

Up to 70 militants have been killed in the Khawzakhela area of Matta tehsil in Swat district after up to 600 pro-Taliban militants attacked security personnel near Dheri Bagh at around 4:00 am on Thursday, NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir told reporters. Clashes between security forces backed by helicopter gunships and militants near Khawzakhela continued on Thursday, with 11 civilians reported to have been injured in the crossfire. Online reported that the militants had taken control of the Khawzakhela Bazaar, while a BBC report claimed areas west of Mingora were under militant control. Addressing a joint press conference at the NWFP Information Department, Wazir said security forces had suffered no casualties in the clash. Militant claims: However, Sirajuddin, a spokesman for rebel cleric Fazlullah, said only one or two militants had died. He claimed that 40 security personnel had surrendered in fighting in Khawzakhela. Wazir denied that security personnel had surrendered. NWFP IG Sharif Virk said there was some tension at a police station that had been surrounded by militants, but security forces there were confident they could resist and had been provided with rations. The militants also claimed to have arrested two foreigners, believed to be journalists. Sirjauddin claimed that the arrested men were “NATO soldiers”. Home Minister Shahzada Gustasap told the press conference that the government was trying to mobilise the public against militancy through jirgas in all districts. “We are trying to resolve the crisis by engaging all the parties,” he said.

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India-Pakistan

Swat truce collapses

2007-11-01

* 15 insurgents including Fazlullah’s aide killed in clashes * Blast near Saidu Sharif Police Lines, no casualties * Jirga making efforts for peace deal between govt, cleric MINGORA: Gunship helicopters pounded suspected militant positions in Swat district hours after a temporary ceasefire between security forces and insurgents loyal to Maulana Fazlullah collapsed on Wednesday. At least 15 to 18 insurgents were killed in the clashes. “Fresh clashes resumed after the militants attacked security forces late on Tuesday night. The security personnel retaliated and gunship helicopters were used to hit the militants’ positions,” a senior administration official told Daily Times. Administration sources said that a paramilitary camp in Kanju and an army base in Kabal were attacked, but there were no casualties. According to AFP, the militants fired at an army chopper hovering over Matta, prompting the gunship to attack three rebel positions, officials said. NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir told Daily Times that at least 15 to 18 militants including Tariq, a close aide of Fazlullah, were killed in the clashes. The security forces suffered no casualties, he added. Wazir said that the militants had also set up barricades at various roads and were harassing commuters. Civilians wounded: Hospital sources in Matta told Daily Times that several wounded civilians were brought in for treatment. There were reports that some injured militants were also brought to the hospital. Saidu Sharif blast: Early on Wednesday, a powerful bomb exploded near the Saidu Sharif Police Lines, but no casualty was reported. Meanwhile, efforts are being made to broker a peace deal between the government and the militants. Peace efforts: An all-parties jirga has formed a group to talk to Maulana Fazlullah and the government to find a peaceful solution to the issue. “We are waiting for a green signal from NWFP Governor Ali Jan Orakzai and Maulana Fazlullah for a meeting to discuss ways for peace in the district,” Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl NWFP chief Senator Gul Naseeb told Daily Times. Naseeb said the governor sought time to discuss the idea with the federal government before agreeing to meet the jirga while Maulana Fazlullah had yet to be contacted to seek his approval for a possible peace deal. Appeals for peace also echoed in the streets of Mingora in a rally organised by the Kanju Islahi Committee. The rally participants urged Maulana Fazlullah and the government to resolve the issue peacefully. Separately, a supporter of Fazlullah known as Mullah Nidar warned in a speech over the radio that the militants may use suicide attackers if the government launched any major operation in Swat, AFP reported

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India-Pakistan

'Temporary ceasefire' in Swat

2007-10-30

Pro-Taliban militants and security forces agreed a temporary ceasefire in Swat district on Monday after four days of clashes in which up to 60 militants have been killed. “There is a temporary (truce) arrangement,” NWFP Inspector General Police Sharif Virk told Daily Times on Monday. Both sides were holding fire and no clashes were reported in the district. District Coordination Officer Arshad Majid told AFP that the ceasefire came into effect at 8:00am. FM radio announcement: A deputy to cleric Maulana Fazlullah announced the ceasefire on his unlicensed FM radio station. “The ceasefire was reached to facilitate wounded persons’ treatment,” Maulana Shah Dauran said. He did not say how long the ceasefire would last. “Later on we will hold negotiations with the government on establishing Sharia” in the region, he said. Sources said militant leaders approached Federal Minister Amir Muqqam to suggest a temporary ceasefire. “I have told these people that unless they lay down their arms the government cannot discuss peace with them,” the minister told Daily Times. Officials and sources close to militants said the truce was reached to allow both sides to gather their dead. Despite the truce, helicopters flew over areas controlled by the militants for surveillance, security sources told Daily Times. “We flew the copters to monitor their movement,” they said. Casualties: NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir told AFP there were “reports around 60 miscreants were killed in three days of fighting. The toll could be higher.” He told AP that a total of 20 security forces and civilians were killed since Friday. Another eight troops and four police were missing, he said. “Movement in the area is still restricted and we are still gathering details to confirm the exact number of casualties among miscreants,” he said. Dauran, Fazlullah’s deputy, said five people, including three militants, a woman and a child, were killed during the clashes. “They targeted innocent people,” he said. Army spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad also said up to 60 militants had been killed. He had no reports of casualties among security forces, although residents saw at least nine dead paramilitaries. Sirajuddin, a spokesman for Fazlullah, said they had killed 30 troops near Charbagh and would hand over the bodies only after the army releases an unspecified number of prisoners. Civilians flee: Residents of Imam Dheri, where Fazlullah’s headquarters are located, Barbanda, Manglor and adjoining villages used the lull in fighting to move to safe places, witnesses said. Residents of Kot Manglor told AP that paramilitary troops had asked them to leave the village. Ali Rahman, a local police official, told AP that about 600 people fled the conflict zone on Monday, many crammed into buses and others on foot. Television footage showed villagers wading across a river and struggling across fields clutching bags of possessions. Wazir told APP he had issued directives to the Swat district administration to make accommodation arrangements in Mingora for people displaced due to the fighting. Around 200 residents of Manglor also held a rally in support of peace, calling on both the Taliban and the government to settle their differences through negotiations.

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India-Pakistan

Militants guard Fazlullah's madrassa

2007-10-28

Militants armed with assault rifles and walkie-talkies guard the approach to the stronghold of radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah, whose mission to spread fundamentalist Islam has resulted in the government deploying 2,500 troops to combat the growing extremism in the region. Going beyond the checkpoint on Saturday, an Associated Press reporter entered a sprawling madrassa that lies beyond state control. While scores of militants lurked outside the madrassa, the complex near the village of Imam Dheri was largely empty after Friday’s fighting when militants traded rocket and gunfire across the river with security forces backed by helicopter gunships. At least three people died in the clashes. Fragments of rockets and shells that had been fired by security forces were displayed outside the complex, which appeared undamaged. Security forces were still posted on overlooking hilltops. Fazlullah near: “He [Fazlullah] is here and we are in contact,” Fazlullah’s spokesman, Sirajuddin, told the AP and two local journalists in an interview. Swat, once famed as a tourist resort, has become embroiled in violence in the past three days. A suicide bomber hit a truck carrying soldiers in the main district town, killing 20, after the government deployed paramilitary troops in the region. When security forces launched their assault, militants retaliated by kidnapping and beheading 13 people elsewhere, accusing them of being American spies. Badshah Gul Wazir, the top civilian security official in NWFP, described the executions as a militant ploy to “terrorise” the people. However, Sirajuddin denied involvement in the bombing and claimed that local villagers sympathetic to the militants had executed the abducted men, who included six security forces personnel. Still, he threatened that militants could resort to those tactics. “If a military operation starts against us there will be suicide attacks as well as a guerrilla war,” he said. Sirajuddin laid out Fazlullah’s demands: Hostilities would cease if Shariah was adopted and the government released Sufi Muhammad, Fazlullah’s father-in-law who was jailed in 2002 for having sent thousands of volunteers to Afghanistan during the US-led invasion in 2001. As well as marshalling armed militants and enforcing Islamic law, Fazlullah has used his illegal FM radio station to urge schoolgirls to wear burqas and has forced several development organisations to close their offices, accusing them of spreading immorality as they use female staff, residents say. That has irked authorities, but Sirajuddin said tensions in Swat had risen in the wake of the Pakistani army raid on Lal Masjid in Islamabad. “The situation in the whole country, particularly here, has changed because of Lal Masjid,” Sirajuddin said. “This situation is the reaction to Lal Masjid.”

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India-Pakistan

More beheadings in Swat

2007-10-28

Militants beheaded two more security personnel and seven civilians on Saturday, as a spokesman for pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah warned that there would be no peace in Swat until enforcement of Islamic rule. The decapitated bodies of four security personnel were found on Friday. “Two more policemen were beheaded today (Saturday) and also seven civilians,” NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir said. However, reports put the unofficial death toll among police and paramilitary soldiers at 12. Maulana Sirajuddin, spokesman for Maulana Fazlullah, confirmed that they had beheaded the security personnel. According to Aaj News, Sirajuddin later offered talks with the government to end the violence, but Wazir denied any such offer had been received. In the morning, security personnel dropped handbills in both Pushto and Urdu from helicopters in Mingora city and surrounding rural areas. “The security personnel are in the area for protection of life and property of the local people. You are requested to back security personnel against terrorists and extremists,” they said. Also, the militants occupied Char Bagh police checkpost at Kalam Road near Mingora city late on Saturday, Aaj News reported.

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India-Pakistan

Militants behead 13 in Pakistan violence

2007-10-27

Militants seized and beheaded 13 civilians and security officers in northwest Pakistan after government troops launched an assault on a radical cleric's hideout, officials said Saturday. The beheadings took place late Friday in the scenic Swat valley in North West Frontier Province, where soldiers clashed with fighters loyal to the cleric, who has been driving a fierce campaign to introduce Taliban-inspired laws. The military earlier this week deployed more than 2,000 troops to the region to bolster efforts to crack down on militant attacks launched against government leaders and security forces. An explosion tore through a security forces vehicle in Swat on Thursday, killing about 30 people, in an apparent reaction to the arrival of the troops. The militants seized Friday three police and three paramilitary officers shopping at a bazaar in Matta on the outskirts of Swat and later beheaded all of them, provincial home secretary Badshah Gul Wazir told AFP. The bodies and severed heads were then paraded in front of local residents to scare them, he said. Have the 'security officials' no honor, no pride? Do they not understand what is going to happen to them the moment they're captured? If I were a security officer, and a bunch of Talib thugs were going to pinch me, I'd damned well make sure I took at least one of them with me. Seven civilians were also seized from a van nearby by militants who then executed them, provincial police chief Sharif Virk said. "They were also slaughtered by terrorists who accused them of collaborating with the government forces," Virk told AFP. Virk said fighting had subsided on Saturday with only sporadic exchanges of gunfire between security forces and militants in some areas. Friday's clashes at the hideout of cleric Maulana Fazlullah in the village of Imamdheri also left three rebels and two civilians dead, officials said. A spokesman for Fazlullah regretted the slaughter of the security officers but denied responsibility. Instead the spokesman blamed government forces for provoking the attack. "We are fighting because the government forces have attacked us," spokesman Muslim Khan told reporters in Imamdheri. "We are only demanding enforcement of Sharia (Islamic laws) in the district and withdrawal of the army and paramilitary from the region," he said, speaking before news of the civilian deaths broke.

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India-Pakistan

Hundreds flee as ‘operation’ launched in Swat

2007-10-27

MINGORA/PESHAWAR: Security forces battled with armed supporters of rebel cleric Maulana Fazlullah here on Friday, killing one militant and injuring three others, while bodies of four abducted security personnel were found on a roadside, witnesses and officials said. Two civilians were also killed in the clashes, as hundreds of residents of Imam Dheri started leaving the area fearing a full-scale operation, Online reported. Any drums? Can't have a lashkar without drums. Maulana Fazlullah’s spokesman Sirajuddin confirmed the attack on the cleric’s headquarters in Imam Dheri and the death of a militant. He said that an 80-member delegation was heading for Islamabad to hold talks with the federal government on the invitation of Political Affairs Minister Amir Muqam when the security forces besieged Fazlullah’s headquarters. “Heavy weapons and helicopters were used when the forces surrounded Fazlullah’s headquarters,” security sources told Daily Times. Excellent! Did they level the place? The local Taliban set up barricades at Sharialm, Chaprial and Shakar Dara in Matta Tehsil on Friday morning and took ‘suspicious’ people hostage at gunpoint, locals told Daily Times. The Pak troops should take 'suspicious' local Talibs hostage. Then shoot them. Three Frontier Corps personnel and a policeman were reportedly among the ‘suspicious’ people the Taliban took hostage from the Chaprial and Pir Killi areas of Matta Tehsil. The militants later dumped the bodies of the four law enforcement personnel in Shakar Dara. NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir said they received “unconfirmed reports” of the abducted soldiers’ killing. The militants paraded the soldiers’ bodies in their vehicles while holding the head of a soldier in the air to show their barbarity, he added. A journalist of a local television channel was also taken hostage in Imam Dheri on suspicion of being an “undercover agent”, but was released after four hours. Military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said army helicopters joined the operation, and troops were sent to the region as reserves to help local authorities maintain law and order, if requested, AP reported.

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India-Pakistan

Official says militants stirred up gunfight

2007-10-27

NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir has said that Maulana Fazlullah-led militants attacked a contingent of paramilitary forces near the Fizagat area at around 11:45 am on Friday, using heavy weapons and rocket launchers, and that security forces retaliated the attack. Addressing a press conference, he said the crossfire continued till evening, adding that when the militants stopped firing the security forces also stopped firing. He said the government was trying to resolve the Swat issue peacefully, which was why the government didn’t retaliate to Thursday’s suicide attack, in which a suicide attacker rammed his explosives-laden car into an FC officials’ vehicle killing 20 people and injuring around 34. He said two civilians died near Fizagat owing to the militants’ firing and that some non-locals belonging to FATA and other areas were also present in Swat and “there is a possibility of foreigners’ presence in the district.” He said the Fazlullah-led Shaheen Force comprised 300-400 persons and the cleric had around 4,600 supporters in 59 villages. He said arms to the district might have come from Bajaur Agency through Dir district that shares border with Swat. He said the operation was not on the mandate of the security forces, which were deployed there to establish the state writ and to curb militant activity. He said gunship helicopters were meant to support the ground forces and they flew towards the district to protect the troops. He said that if the situation got out of control then the army might also be called to restore law and order. He said in today’s clashes there were no causalities from the security forces and “we have no such reports from the Imam Dheri.” He said Fazlullah wanted to establish a parallel government in the area and set up courts while his men flogged and killed people. “There is no plan to release Sufi Mohammad imprisoned in the Dera Ismail Khan Prison, or to use him as an intermediary.”

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India-Pakistan

Pakistani forces launch offensive against militants in Swat valley

2007-10-27

(KUNA) — Hundreds of Pakistani troops with aerial support launched an operation against a local holy man militant commander and his supporters in the once peaceful Swat valley in northern frontier province, NWFP, a day after huge explosions killed over 30 security personnel and wounded dozens others in the area. Paramilitary troopers, after Friday noon prayers, raided a seminary of local militants' commander Maulana Fazlullah at Imamdehri village, security sources told KUNA. They said a fierce gunbattle erupted between the supporters of Maulana and troopers when they tried to enter into the seminary. They added that the two sides were still exchanging heavy fire, adding that troops fired mortar shells as well. According to media reports, at least six gunship helicopters were hovering in the area and sounds of explosions could also be heard. Sources said that forces had taken control of the militants' training camp adjacent to the religious seminary. Another source claimed that at least five militants had been killed and several, including security men, were wounded in the ongoing offensive. The source said the two sides were using heavy weapons against each other. The operation was launched a day after in a suicide explosion that caused ammunition in military truck to explode, killed over 30 security personnel and wounded several others. Important safety tip here: If you need a ride in a war zone, probably the ammunition truck isn't the best ride to have. You might think seriously about walking. If there are 40 of you, you might want to wait for a bus. The attack has been seen in reaction to recent troops reinforcement in the valley in the aftermath of rising militancy and attacks on security forces. Military Spokesman Waheed Arshad said troops had been dispatched at the request of provincial government to improve the situation of law and order. A few hours ahead of the operation, Caretaker Chief Minister NWFP Shamsul Mulk told Pakistan Television that the government had no intention to launch a specific operation in Swat if the efforts to establish its writ are not resisted. Militancy and extremism is on the rise in once peaceful touristic Swat valley since Tahreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM), Fazlullah's Al-Qaeda linked banned group, established its strongholds in the area. Despite the government ban on his group and its illegal radio station, Fazlullah, also known as "Mullah Radio," has been broadcasting fiery anti-government and anti-west speeches on his illegal FM radio station. A few hours ahead of the operation, Caretaker Chief Minister NWFP Shamsul Mulk told Pakistan Television that the government had no intention to launch a specific operation in Swat if the efforts to establish its writ are not resisted. He said the writ of government was weak in the area and the government was trying to strengthen it by deploying more troops. If these efforts are not resisted the law enforcers will not go in pursuit of anyone to his doorstep, the chief minister said. Hundreds flee as ‘operation’ launched in Swat Forces battle with Fazlullah supporters One militant killed, bodies of 4 abducted soldiers found Militants fire at copter carrying FC IG Musharraf directs officials to avoid civilian losses By Saleem Athar and Manzoor Ali Shah MINGORA/PESHAWAR: Security forces battled with armed supporters of rebel cleric Maulana Fazlullah here on Friday, killing one militant and injuring three others, while bodies of four abducted security personnel were found on a roadside, witnesses and officials said. Two civilians were also killed in the clashes, as hundreds of residents of Imam Dheri started leaving the area fearing a full-scale operation, Online reported. Maulana Fazlullah’s spokesman Sirajuddin confirmed the attack on the cleric’s headquarters in Imam Dheri and the death of a militant. He said that an 80-member delegation was heading for Islamabad to hold talks with the federal government on the invitation of Political Affairs Minister Amir Muqam when the security forces besieged Fazlullah’s headquarters. “Heavy weapons and helicopters were used when the forces surrounded Fazlullah’s headquarters,” security sources told Daily Times. The local Taliban set up barricades at Sharialm, Chaprial and Shakar Dara in Matta Tehsil on Friday morning and took ‘suspicious’ people hostage at gunpoint, locals told Daily Times. Three Frontier Corps personnel and a policeman were reportedly among the ‘suspicious’ people the Taliban took hostage from the Chaprial and Pir Killi areas of Matta Tehsil. The militants later dumped the bodies of the four law enforcement personnel in Shakar Dara. "What'ya bring 'em in for, Mahmoud?" "Looked suspicious to me, Yer Holiness." "Okay. Kill 'em." NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir said they received “unconfirmed reports” of the abducted soldiers’ killing. The militants paraded the soldiers’ bodies in their vehicles while holding the head of a soldier in the air to show their barbarity, he added. That's unconfirmed barbarity, mind you. A journalist of a local television channel was also taken hostage in Imam Dheri on suspicion of being an “undercover agent”, but was released after four hours. Military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said army helicopters joined the operation, and troops were sent to the region as reserves to help local authorities maintain law and order, if requested, AP reported. Helicopter attacked: Separately, militants fired at a helicopter carrying FC Inspector General Maj Gen Alam Khattak who had come to inspect his troops deployed at Fizza Ghat. They missed the target and the helicopter made safe landing, said a local police official. Musharraf briefed: The top military authorities and the NWFP governor have briefed President Pervez Musharraf on the operation in Swat, Online reported. Musharraf has asked them to avoid loss of life and property of civilians. NWFP Home Minister Shahzada Gustasap Yes, you read that name right. It's Pasatsug, spelled backwards. said the government was still trying to pacify the situation through peaceful means, while a meeting of the NWFP cabinet hinted at the promulgation of the Provincial Shariah Act 2003 to the Provincially Administrated Tribal Areas (PATA). The meeting also decided to implement the Nizam-e-Aadal Ordinance in the Malakand and Swat areas after removing the ‘legal hitches’ with the consultation of the Peshawar High Court chief justice. It also considered allowing an FM Radio channel in the area for “peaceful teachings”. The cabinet also discussed a proposal for setting up Shariah courts and appointment of qazis.

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