Pakistani warplanes bomb Baitullah Mehsud’s stronghold
June 13th, 2009 - 3:37 pm ICT by IANS
Islamabad, June 13 (IANS) Pakistani warplanes bombed a stronghold of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in the South Waziristan tribal region Saturday morning, media reports said.
Four fighter jets bombed parts of Makeen and other areas in South Waziristan, destroying several militant hideouts, considered as the stronghold of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Baitullah Mehsud, Dawn reported, citing witness and intelligence reports.
Several militants were believed killed in the air strikes, Geo TV reported, quoting sources.
The anti-Taliban operations, which had hitherto been confined to Swat, Buner and Lower Dir districts in the Malakand division of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), have now spread to the southeastern Bunnu district and to South Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
To go by the military’s figures, over 1,400 Taliban have been killed so far but there is no independent confirmation of this as the media has been barred from the battle zone.
This apart, the military has not lived up to its promise of releasing still and video images from the conflict zone. The only photograph released so far is one earlier this week of the army and air force chiefs visiting Mingora, the largest town in Swat district that has been cleared of the Taliban.
The security forces have lost some 115 personnel in the fighting.
– Indo-Asian News Service
skp/vt
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Tags: asian news, battle zone, buner, conflict zone, fighter jets, frontier province, geo tv, hideouts, independent confirmation, intelligence reports, malakand division, north west frontier, nwfp, quoting sources, skp, south waziristan, swat district, tribal areas, video images, warplanes bomb
