Just In: Details Of The Wana Operation
Mar 23, 2004, By Zafir Jamaal, JUS

JUS has just received details of the operation in Wana from sources in the area, including reports of 25 civilians being killed and 18 others wounded. Unconfirmed reports tell of many unreported deaths in the area that is cordoned off and reporters can not access the area. All those killed are labeled as fighters by the Pakistani government however this is incorrect as we have obtained first hand reports of civilian casualties. The Secretary for Fata Brigadier (retd.) Mahmood Shah told Radio Pakistan that they have arrested 75 people and they are being identified. Reports that the Mujahideen have captured two local government officials have been confirmed. They are demanding the release of their brothers for the release of these two government officials.

According to eyewitnesses, reinforcements from the Pakistan army arrived in the area over the weekend, bringing with them heavy artillery and several armed vehicles. The entire area has been deserted, with thousands of civilians having left the area. The border has been sealed and according to agencies, the fighting is being raged with fierce intensity and firing could be heard from several miles away. Three more villages were evacuated by the authorities on Saturday and 120 more families were forced from their homes in Wana.

Reports on Friday suggested that the firing continued on for the entire day with out stop. Pakistani army used all sorts of weapons from heavy artillery and mortars to helicopter gunship to jet fighters. It is reported that up to five Cobra attack helicopters were used, along with 15 Pakistani gunship helicopters in the operation. They were being dispatched from the Wana and Jandwa airbases. It should be noted that American helicopters have flown many times from across the border during the last five days.

One report has arrived that American helicopters too are taking some part in the operation in Wana. A senior Pakistan army officer on condition of anonymity has said that an American helicopter fired on a car and wounded the three passengers in it. It is not clear if the helicopter came in from Afghanistan or from American base in Pakistan. The wounded were civilians. The Ilyas Public school was also targeted. According to details, people in Lora Mandi the shopkeepers were returning home after closing their shops when an American helicopter fired 12.7 bore machine gun on the vehicle which wounded the three men who were from the tribe of Mdakhel tribe.

After continuous bombing using artillery and helicopter gunships by the Pakistan and American forces, 25 civilians have been reported killed and 18 seriously wounded. Most of them were women and children. One of the most gruesome incidents involved the deaths of thriteen people from the same family. These people were traveling in a van to a safe place away from where the battle was raging. The passengers included children of 2, 3 and 5 years of age. The helicopter gunship killed all thirteen of them while the rest of the passengers of the van were seriously wounded. More than a dozen other cars in the vicinity were also damaged.

As the operation became more fierce, more firepower had to be called during Saturday. Air assaults killed four local civilians. Another civilian vehicle was destroyed killing 4 others according to witnesses. It is impossible these days to get any close to the fighting to get more details. The operation is slowly shifting away from the border areas, and recent reports tell us that the operation is in the sub division of the capital of South Waziristan agency Wana. Meanwhile military aircraft carpet bombed the area Satruday but we have no way currently of determining the casualties. Pakistan called in F-16 fighters for the first time Saturday, after using F-7’s for the past 5 days and heavy artillery was also used again. Five civilians have been reported killed by artillery fire and three others seriously wounded from witnesses fleeing the scene.

The fifth day saw a little easing of tension as both sides regrouped their assets. The locals used this time to escape from the area in large numbers. These people are taking all of their life belongings to Dera Ismail Khan. It appears that they do not plan to come back in near future.

Unknown attackers blew up the bridge connecting Wana to Meran Shah. All traffic on the Wana Meran Shah road has come to a halt. The Pakistan army has put the Meanwali airbase on red alert for possible use of that base for operations against the Mujahideen.

According to Pakistani Propaganda minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, the Pakistani side is facing serious resistance that they did not anticipate. He said that American helicopters were indeed being used in the operation but there no American servicemen in them, contrary to information we have received for other sources.

Rasheed Ahmed admitted that the “terrorists” there were no threat to Pakistan and that they had adopted the tribal land as their new home. They came during the Afghan jihad and later on settled on tribal areas because they found the population to be very Islamic. They were married and had children in the area. Rasheed Ahmed also said that 80% of the people supported the operation and had no problem with it. It is amazing how 80% of the public would not have any problem with their homes being destroyed and their women, elderly and children having to walk for many kilometers to get to safety. Rasheed Ahmed also said that in one incident, two vehicles carrying 9 or 10 people tried to break away from the front lines, but they were repulsed and one of them was martyred. He said that it was proof that a “high value target” is still there and the attempt to escape was foiled.

According to the president of the ruling party of NWFP and leader of Jamat e Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, it is sad that Muslims are fighting Muslims for the cause of the Christian and Zionist lobby in America. He said that it reminded him of the way British used Muslims to suppress the freedom movements in India and used them against the freedom struggle of Haji Tarangzai in the tribal areas. He said that after every casualty, the Pakistan army used the word of martyrs, just because they were Pakistani soldiers. He questions whether these soldiers are really martyrs because martyrdom is reserved for people who die fighting for the cause of Allah.

The director general of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan, said at a briefing on Monday that the ongoing military operation in Wana will continue until all “terrorists” and those harboring them are apprehended or evicted. (JUS)

Source:
Jihadunspun.com