Pakistan widens offensive; U.S. triples aid
Source: Reuters
By Adil Khan
BANNU, Pakistan, June 12 (Reuters) - Pakistani forces stepped up attacks on militants across the northwest on Friday as the U.S. House of Representatives approved tripling aid to Pakistan to about $1.5 billion a year for the next five years.
Security forces have made progress in more than a month of fighting against Taliban militants in the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad, and in recent days have begun attacks in several other parts of the region.
Rising Islamist violence has raised fears for Pakistan's stability and for the safety of its nuclear arsenal but the offensive in Swat has reassured the United States about its commitment to the global campaign against militancy.
Pakistan is a vital security ally for the United States as it struggles to stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan and defeat al Qaeda.
U.S. officials said on Thursday insurgent violence in Afghanistan had accelerated sharply alongside the arrival of new U.S. troops, reaching its highest level since 2001.
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta said he believed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan and he hoped joint operations with Pakistani forces would find him.
Police in Bannu, a town in North West Frontier Province adjacent to the North Waziristan militant stronghold on the Afghan border, said the military had fired artillery through the night at militant positions in the Jani Kheil area.
"Since sunrise, helicopter gunships have also being used in the attack. There have been reports of casualties on the militant side but we aren't sure how many," police official Sami Ullah told Reuters.
More than 130 militants have been killed in the fighting near Bannu this week up to Thursday, according to military officers and a senior civilian official in the area.
Independent casualty estimates for the fighting in Bannu and other parts of the northwest are not available.
BOTTLED UP
Gunship helicopters also attacked militants in the Bajaur and Mohmand regions on the Afghan border, both to the north of the city of Peshawar, military officials and residents said.
There has also been fighting this week in the South Waziristan and Orakzai ethnic Pashtun tribal regions.
The military's chief spokesman was not available for comment but an analyst said the various air strikes appeared aimed at keeping militants bottled up.
"The operation in Swat has entered its final stages and troops are engaging militants elsewhere to stop them going to Swat and to disrupt their network," said Mahmood Shah, a former chief of security in the Pashtun tribal areas.
The militants have responded to the offensive in Swat with a series of bomb attacks, including a suicide truck-bomb blast at a prominent hotel in Peshwar on Tuesday which killed nine people including two foreign U.N. workers.
A suicide bomber attacked police on the outskirts of Peshawar on Thursday evening, killing one man and wounding 14. Later, militants opened fire in different parts of Peshawar, killing two people, police said.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved tripling aid to Pakistan to about $1.5 billion a year for the next five years in a key part of a strategy to combat extremism with economic and social development.
The bill includes military aid with conditions that require the Obama administration to certify that Pakistan remains committed to fighting terrorist groups -- a provision that Pakistan had criticised.
The funding includes money for schools, the judicial system, parliament and law enforcement agencies.
"The current conditions in Pakistan underline the importance of moving urgently on this legislation," said Democratic Representative Chris Van Hollen.
"This is the time to send a signal and initiate a policy of economic development in these difficult regions," he added.
The fighting in Swat and other parts of the northwest has displaced about 2.5 million people and aid officials have appealed to donors to step up their help.
The United Nations is seeking $543 million but has received only $138 million. Nine aid agencies said this week they would be forced to stop or cut back supplies of aid unless the funding crisis was resolved. (Additional reporting by Zeeshan Haider, Hasan Mehmood, Javed Hussain; Writing by Robert Birsel)
By Adil Khan
BANNU, Pakistan, June 12 (Reuters) - Pakistani forces stepped up attacks on militants across the northwest on Friday as the U.S. House of Representatives approved tripling aid to Pakistan to about $1.5 billion a year for the next five years.
Security forces have made progress in more than a month of fighting against Taliban militants in the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad, and in recent days have begun attacks in several other parts of the region.
Rising Islamist violence has raised fears for Pakistan's stability and for the safety of its nuclear arsenal but the offensive in Swat has reassured the United States about its commitment to the global campaign against militancy.
Pakistan is a vital security ally for the United States as it struggles to stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan and defeat al Qaeda.
U.S. officials said on Thursday insurgent violence in Afghanistan had accelerated sharply alongside the arrival of new U.S. troops, reaching its highest level since 2001.
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta said he believed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan and he hoped joint operations with Pakistani forces would find him.
Police in Bannu, a town in North West Frontier Province adjacent to the North Waziristan militant stronghold on the Afghan border, said the military had fired artillery through the night at militant positions in the Jani Kheil area.
"Since sunrise, helicopter gunships have also being used in the attack. There have been reports of casualties on the militant side but we aren't sure how many," police official Sami Ullah told Reuters.
More than 130 militants have been killed in the fighting near Bannu this week up to Thursday, according to military officers and a senior civilian official in the area.
Independent casualty estimates for the fighting in Bannu and other parts of the northwest are not available.
BOTTLED UP
Gunship helicopters also attacked militants in the Bajaur and Mohmand regions on the Afghan border, both to the north of the city of Peshawar, military officials and residents said.
There has also been fighting this week in the South Waziristan and Orakzai ethnic Pashtun tribal regions.
The military's chief spokesman was not available for comment but an analyst said the various air strikes appeared aimed at keeping militants bottled up.
"The operation in Swat has entered its final stages and troops are engaging militants elsewhere to stop them going to Swat and to disrupt their network," said Mahmood Shah, a former chief of security in the Pashtun tribal areas.
The militants have responded to the offensive in Swat with a series of bomb attacks, including a suicide truck-bomb blast at a prominent hotel in Peshwar on Tuesday which killed nine people including two foreign U.N. workers.
A suicide bomber attacked police on the outskirts of Peshawar on Thursday evening, killing one man and wounding 14. Later, militants opened fire in different parts of Peshawar, killing two people, police said.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved tripling aid to Pakistan to about $1.5 billion a year for the next five years in a key part of a strategy to combat extremism with economic and social development.
The bill includes military aid with conditions that require the Obama administration to certify that Pakistan remains committed to fighting terrorist groups -- a provision that Pakistan had criticised.
The funding includes money for schools, the judicial system, parliament and law enforcement agencies.
"The current conditions in Pakistan underline the importance of moving urgently on this legislation," said Democratic Representative Chris Van Hollen.
"This is the time to send a signal and initiate a policy of economic development in these difficult regions," he added.
The fighting in Swat and other parts of the northwest has displaced about 2.5 million people and aid officials have appealed to donors to step up their help.
The United Nations is seeking $543 million but has received only $138 million. Nine aid agencies said this week they would be forced to stop or cut back supplies of aid unless the funding crisis was resolved. (Additional reporting by Zeeshan Haider, Hasan Mehmood, Javed Hussain; Writing by Robert Birsel)
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