Pakistan Kills Two Dozen Terror Suspects

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&e=4&u=/ap/20040316/ap_on_re_as/pakistan_al_qaida_hunt

<snip>
WANA, Pakistan - Paramilitary troops stormed a fortress-like compound with mortars and machine-gun fire Tuesday, killing 24 suspects in a fierce crackdown on al-Qaida and Taliban fugitives in the rugged tribal regions bordering Afghanistan (news - web sites), the army spokesman said.

The operation — which left at least eight Pakistani troops dead and 15 wounded — was a stunning message delivered just one day after the military president promised to rid the territory of foreign terrorists. There have been several anti-terror operations in the semiautonomous tribal belt in recent months, but none so bloody.


Brig. Mahmood Shah, security chief in the tribal regions, said the raid was "the most deadly" in memory in the tribal areas.

"There will be more such operations," he told The Associated Press. "We will continue these operations until it is assured that our tribal areas have been purged of foreign terrorists."

[maggrwaggr]

1. and we have proof of this how ....?

sorry, I don't believe anything these people tell me anymore about the "war on terror" unless I see it with my own eyes and it's corroborated by a lot of people who AREN'T military spokesmen.

[CaptainClark23]

2. Whoops, no researching Al Qaida links here...

You'll just have to trust us that those guys with the AK-47's and sandals were trained international terrorists.

[Nihil]

3. "Some win a lottery, some win a bullet"

> Paramilitary troops ...

Hmmm, not "soldiers" or "police" but "paramilitary troops"?
Is that the same as "armed thugs" or just "mercenaries"?

> The majority of those killed appeared to be tribesmen suspected of
> sheltering the terrorists, ...

So by their own admission, at least 12 were tribesmen, not terrorists.

No prisoners were taken (and few bodies recovered apart from those of
the 8 dead troops). All were "suspects", not "convicted", "known" or
even "pre-identified" terrorists.

Nice allies "we" have over there ...

[Media_Lies_Daily]

4. Were they Al Qaeda/Taliban, or enemies of the Pakistan state?...

One never knows what one is hearing or reading anymore.

[Cooley Hurd]

5. Kick for the late morning crowd...

:kick:

[CaptainClark23]

6. Once again, the headline is a mask

Read today's NYTimes (if you dare, sorry no link, hardcopy only) story today.

The headlines and sound bites sounds like Pakistani forces engaged hostile terrorists, and killed 24 of them, with 8 dead and 15 wounded. Hard losses, but a victory.

What the story reveals, however, is that 300 paki soldiers (actually, elite paramilitaries called Scouts) moved into tribal village Kaloosha and surrounded a mud-brick compound where they "had tried to detain suspected Qaeda members and local tribesmen believed to be sheltering them.

When they began the raid, heavy covering fire allowed several vehicles to escape the compound (some surrounding job there, eh?)

Whereupon they found themselves surrounded by an estimated 400 to 500 armed militants who had moved into positions through apple tree groves.

So you've got 300 paki Scouts who not only couldn't complete the mission, as their targets drove right through them, but then they are surrounded and outnumbered by 100 to 200 troops (not counting the troops inside the compound).

They were eventually rescued by an additonal 400 regular paki troops.

results:

Paki Scouts: 8 dead, 15 wounded, 18 "missing", no prisoners, let alone initial targets.

Militants: 24 dead.

So who won this little battle I ask you? Man I feel for our Brothers and Sisters over there who have to walk through these tribal lands, while trying to look like they are the ones in charge over there.

Bring 'em home.