US, Pakistani Strikes Kill 62 Islamic Militants

[UAE]

US, Pakistani Strikes Kill 62 Islamic Militants

North Waziristan map​

VOA News
Last updated on: December 27, 2014 7:26 AM

Pakistan's military says security forces ambushed "a large assembly of terrorists" near the border with Afghanistan, killing at least 16 of them and wounding 20 others.

A brief military statement issued Saturday says an overnight "intense battle" took place in a territory separating the Orakzai and Khyber tribal districts and that at least four solders were wounded.

Earlier, Pakistani officials said two suspected U.S. drone strikes killed at least seven Islamist fighters early Friday in the remote North Waziristan region.

Those strikes were followed by Pakistani air strikes late Friday targeting compounds of Taliban and Uzbek militants near the Afghan border with what the army called "very effective and precise aerial strikes" that killed at least 39 militants.

The attacks in North Waziristan come as Pakistan ramps up its anti-terror strategy following a December 16 Pakistani Taliban attack on an army-run school in Peshawar that killed nearly 150 people, most of them children.

The massacre of 134 children and 16 school staff prompted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to reinstate the death penalty just two days after the attack. Authorities have since hanged six “hard-core terrorists” convicted of previous terrorism charges. Plans are in place to execute hundreds more.

Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke by phone with Mr. Sharif. A U.N. statement said Mr. Ban urged the Islamabad government to stop the executions and re-impose the country's moratorium on the death penalty. The two also discussed the rule of law and the need for an independent Pakistani judiciary.

Drone strikes are largely unpopular in Pakistan where many consider them a violation of the country's sovereignty. But the U.S. insists the attacks are effective to eliminate militants in areas not accessible to the Pakistani military.

Also Friday, officials said security forces have killed an alleged facilitator of the Peshawar school massacre.

The head of the police in the Khyber tribal region said security forces, acting on intelligence information, conducted a raid late Thursday and fought a gun battle with the militant commander known as Saddam and suspected accomplices. Six alleged cohorts were wounded and arrested.

US, Pakistani Strikes Kill 62 Islamic Militants

 

[mikeqin]

The attacks in North Waziristan come as Pakistan ramps up its anti-terror strategy following a December 16 Pakistani Taliban attack on an army-run school in Peshawar that killed nearly 150 people, most of them children.

 

[soconfused]

Good riddance! I hope these continue for as long as it takes to wipe out this virus.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

I tend to take these kind of claims with a large handful of salt. They said it was a large assembly of terrorists. I remember very clearly when one previous large assembly of terrorists was actually a wedding party in progress.

Anyway, I don't think this war against the terrorists can ever be won by armed might. Armed might will only made the hardcore terrorists even harder in their resolve. Don't forget that no terrorist, or any army for that matter, can go into the field without backup or support from the backend. So, hazarding a wild guess, I think for every visible terrorist, there are probably anything up to 100 people supporting him.

To win this war, we must win the supporters of these terrorists. Mind you, we cannot do this by telling them how wrong they are in supporting the terrorists. That will only play into the hands of the terrorists. The more we say they are wrong, the more they will be determined to prove they are right. What we need to do is to show them that there are much more effective ways of achieving their goals, ways which do not require guns and bombs or blood and tears.

So what do they want? This is really something we should put a lot of thought to.

 

[Dez97]

This is all due to their actions as of late, with their military and such. The surrounding countries are simply getting prepared for the unknown of course.

 

[Peninha]

I really don't get what does the US has to do with this war, they are fighting against terror once more, protecting Iraq or why are they back there? Anyone has a clear answer to this?

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

I really don't get what does the US has to do with this war, they are fighting against terror once more, protecting Iraq or why are they back there? Anyone has a clear answer to this?

Good question.

I have a very strange proposal. The US should just withdraw from all these countries. Take their soldiers home. Take their equipment home. Stay home. Look after themselves. Take care of their own people. Make their nation great again. In short, help themselves before thinking of helping other people.

 

[Peninha]

I feel that they have a responsibility with Iraq, after all they invaded the country and left them in war and chaos, that's the only scenario that makes sense to me. But yeah, quite a few Americans in poverty and with basic needs, the US government should look for those people first.

 

[downsouth]

Good question.

I have a very strange proposal. The US should just withdraw from all these countries. Take their soldiers home. Take their equipment home. Stay home. Look after themselves. Take care of their own people. Make their nation great again. In short, help themselves before thinking of helping other people.

Innocent women and children are dying at the hands of terrorists. The US got a lot of help from Pakistan when they were uprooting the country and looking for Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. The US has an obligation now to help Pakistan forces drive out the rest of these terrorist scum out of the country. Why leave a problem half resolved ? So that Al Qaeda or the Taliban can regroup and make another attack on US soil eventually ? What about the genocide committed by the ISIS ? There are no domestic problems in the US that are even half as critical as the ones abroad.