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Army in Waziristan better equipped, more relaxed

* Officer says militants spreading misinformation claiming army personnel ‘non-Muslims’
* Taliban brainwashing abducted soldiers

By Iqbal Khattak

SPEENKAY RAGHZAI: An ‘embedded’ trip to the army’s forward positions in former Baitullah Mehsud-strongholds on Sunday proved different from many perspectives from previous such visits to South Waziristan undertaken since 2004.

On Sunday, the army looked better equipped, more open and closer to the media and, above all, the troops appeared relaxed, with few signs of tension registering on the faces of officers and jawans alike.

As has not been the case in the past, the army has at its disposal more vehicles equipped with electronic jamming devices, which can render ineffective improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and remote-controlled roadside bombs within a 100 metres radius.

“We have more jammers now than before,” said an army driver. The jamming device was installed in the rear of the 4x4 vehicle in which we were travelling.

The vehicle was assigned to a colonel-rank officer, who kept his automatic rifle close to his seat all the time.

The army has lost several troops to militant ambushes in which militants used IEDs and roadside bombs. The provision of jammers has reduced casualties, but more jammers are required to save more soldiers.

The troops experienced a much-needed morale boost when Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani’s visited Speenkay Raghzai recently to recognise the bravery the soldiers displayed during ‘Operation Zalzala’ to oust the Taliban from their strongholds.

“It was great feeling finding the chief among us on forward position,” a young officer told Daily Times as he pointed out exactly where General Kayani had awarded gallantry medals to the troops.

Misinformation, non-Muslims: A major-rank officer said militants had spread misinformation among the local population, projecting the army personnel as ‘non-Muslims.’

He said he was saying his prayers at an army-run camp for internally displaced people when a woman screamed upon seeing him at namaz. “I asked her, what made you scream? She said the Taliban had told them that the Pakistan Army people were not Muslims. She said she was not aware that what the Taliban said about army was untrue.”

Anti-US brainwashing: Another officer said the soldiers and officers who had been abducted and released recently by Taliban had related how the militants were trying to brainwash them against the United States.

“The Taliban militants did not torture the soldiers and the officers during their detention but just attempted to brainwash them,” said an officer who had received the jawans after a prisoner-swap with the Taliban last week.

“Hey, why you people are fighting own Muslim brothers on behalf of the United States? Do not do this. Come and fight on our side,” the Taliban militants told the detained servicemen, according to the officer.

The ‘physical fight’ with Baitullah Mehsud-led militants lasted just four days after the operation was launched on January 24, but the soldiers are concerned about ‘plan B’ or lack thereof.

Plan A, evicting militants from their strongholds, was implemented successfully, they said; however, plan B was missing. They said their concern was that the government did not have a follow-up policy.

In November 2004, an operation had been launched in Speenkay Raghzai, and the Taliban had been successfully evicted then as well. However, in the absence of ‘plan B’ they re-occupied the area and the army was forced to take action again in January this year.

If ‘plan B’ is missing again, army action may be required again in Speenkay Raghzai late this year or early next year.

“That is what we should do: build more successes on the first success. That is what we are not doing,” said a senior officer. Moreover, some troops said the return of internally displaced people to the area would increase the troops’ security risks. They said that if a proper mechanism was not put in place to stop unwanted people from returning, IED and suicide attacks on the army would resume.

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