Operation Zarb-e-Azm against terrorists and militants in the tribal belt entered its third day yesterday though news from the front is limited. Reports say that the military cordoned off areas surrounding the former terrorist strongholds of Miranshah and Mirali in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) and established a strict curfew. Air force jets pounded militant hideouts in Shawal near the Afghan border on Monday. Sources say that militants are trying to slip further into the mountainous region near the Afghan border and have mostly abandoned their hideouts near the settled areas of the tribal belt. Pakistan has requested Afghanistan’s help by sealing off its side of the international border, but after two days there was no response to that request. Eight soldiers are so far reported to have been killed, with six lost to a roadside bomb near Ghulam Khan on Monday and two more killed in a gunfight with militants trying to force their way through a barrier in Mirali. The importance of airpower and the military’s newly acquired surveillance and targeting capabilities are making themselves known. With the ability to identify using high altitude surveillance cameras from fighters and with its own indigenous drones flying lower level reconnaissance missions, the army has been able to precisely target militant locations including, reports say, a communications command and control centre that was destroyed on Monday. Precision systems aim to inflict damage in a limited area causing less civilian casualties, which was one of the primary arguments against using airpower in previous years. The military put the militants’ death toll at 184, with 34 reported killed in actions on Monday. Officials in Islamabad say that refugees have been pouring out of the conflict zone and the government has established relief camps in Bakkakhel where so far 61,000 people have taken shelter. The Prime Minister (PM) made an initial allocation of Rs 500 million for relief activities. Thousands more people are waiting for the military to briefly lift curfew so they can leave. COAS General Raheel Sharif, speaking at the National Defence University on Monday, said the army was taking advantage of the summer weather and would continue the operation until all terrorists and their sanctuaries are, without discrimination, eliminated. The PM made his stance clear by saying the time for negotiations was now over and that Pakistan would no longer “be allowed to become a sanctuary for the terrorists, at any cost” while briefing the National Assembly (NA) on the operation on Monday amidst loud applause, including from the opposition benches. The majority of political parties represented in the NA pledged their support for military action, providing the military with the broad political backing it was hoping to get for a concerted operation. The PPP, PTI, MQM and other opposition parties signed a resolution supporting the operation, despite complaints from PTI leader Imran Khan about not being taken into confidence over the decision; his complaint is irrational since he has no official need-to-know and should not expect the military to disadvantage itself by giving up the element of surprise. The PPP and MQM were sceptical about negotiations from the start of the process while Khan’s volte face is unsurprising given widespread public support for military action after last week’s attack on Karachi airport. The Jamaat-e-Islami signed the resolution though after considerable protests and with caveats, underlining their fundamental opposition to military action against their ideological counterparts. They also asked the terrorists to abandon violence though the time for such pleas to take effect is long past. Two of the government’s parliamentary allies, the JUI-F and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), refused to sign the resolution. The Senate also overwhelmingly lent its support for the operation and called for unity among stakeholders, saying the operation was just the beginning of clearing Pakistan of terrorism. The sentiment is better voiced now since there is little doubt that Pakistanis must prepare for a long war in which all parts of society must cooperate. The military said the second phase of its anti-terrorist campaign will commence in the cities and towns once NWA is cleared. This will be the most difficult part and it is yet to come. *