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Military wants a quick end in Swat

* Report says military fears public support will erode if campaign persists longer

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: The heaviest fighting in the Pakistan Army’s battle against the Malakand Taliban, which has displaced 1.5 million civilians, is still to come, the Time has pointed out.

The military leadership, it says, fears that the longer it persists, the more likely that public support for the offensive will erode.

Although the military claims to have restored control of 80 percent of Buner, reports from the area suggest fierce fighting is still underway there as well as in Lower Dir.

The commanders are keen to wrap up the fight in Buner and Lower Dir within days in order to focus on Swat, where an estimated 4,000 well-armed, well-trained Taliban are dug in.

The army claims that the local Taliban there have received reinforcements from Waziristan, southern Punjab and jihadists from Central Asia. “Ten percent of the militants have come from outside,” Maj-Gen Athar Abbas told reporters on Saturday.

In military’s plan for retaking Swat, eliminating the Taliban command structure is the priority.

Aware that public support for the campaign is likely to ebb, the government and the military recognise that they have a limited time in which to work.

Unlike previous campaigns against the Taliban, widespread public support is claimed for Swat offensive. In a bid to maintain that support, army Chief of Staff Gen Ashfaq Kayani has been giving closed door briefings to political leaders and senior media figures.

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