Islamabad: Pakistan’s armed forces will carry out a limited operation in North Waziristan, primarily targeting Al Qaeda, Taliban and foreign fighters, as against the widely held belief that the focus will be exclusively on the Haqqani network.
In background interviews with the Dawn, military commanders ruled out the possibility of a full-scale operation like the one launched in South Waziristan, saying that it was ‘unfeasible’ because of the difference in ground realities.
Islamabad: Pakistan’s armed forces will carry out a limited operation in North Waziristan, primarily targeting Al Qaeda, Taliban and foreign fighters, as against the widely held belief that the focus will be exclusively on the Haqqani network.
In background interviews with the Dawn, military commanders ruled out the possibility of a full-scale operation like the one launched in South Waziristan, saying that it was ‘unfeasible’ because of the difference in ground realities.
They are of the opinion that the Haqqani network is more of a myth, and that the threat posed by it has been exaggerated, it added.
It is said that a major target will be Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) militants who took refuge in North Waziristan after having been dislodged from south. “It will indeed be a big achievement if we succeed in neutralising some of the suicide bomber training centres,” an officer said.
Something that lends further credence to the possibility of a very limited scope of the operation is that military commanders are not expecting a major displacement from the region.
But what appears to be more significant is that the commanders are reluctant to take any technical or intelligence support from the United States. It is not clear if the unwillingness is because of mistrust or fears of losing public support in the country rife with anti-Americanism.
“Using American help will be suicidal,” another officer said without elaborating.
North Waziristan is considered to be the springboard for violence in Afghanistan, and one of the most potent terrorist organisations operating from the agency is the Haqqani network that is operationally commanded by Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is on the ``five most wanted men`` list handed over by Washington to Islamabad.
ANI
