Pakistani officials say the military has launched its much anticipated ground offensive against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the South Waziristan tribal region. Fierce fighting has broken out and dozens of casualties are reported on both sides. North and South Waziristan (2006) This mountainous district forms part of the Afghan border, which United States officials call the most dangerous place in the world. It is considered to be a stronghold for the Taliban. An attack by US drones on this area killed the former Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud and it shelters the new leader Hakimullah Mehsud . It is also has training camps for suicide bombers. The US has put pressure on the Pakistani government to deal with militancy in the area. 30,000 troops which had been moved into the area over the past few months moved out of their bases in and around South Waziristan on Saturday, hours after top military and political leaders were briefed by army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayanimain in the capital, Islamabad . The troops advanced north towards the Mehsud stronghold of Makeen , west towards Kunigaram, Saam and Baddar , and  east towards Kotkai, Spinkai Raghzai . "The recent upsurge of terror incidents in the country were condemned and it was agreed that these elements pose a serious threat to the sovereignty and integrity of the state [...] In the given circumstances, the national consensus is reaffirmed to establish and maintain the writ of the state to weed out these elements," said Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani . Hours ahead of Saturday's offensive, Pakistani authorities imposed a curfew and turned off mobile phone service in parts of South Waziristan in the district of Wana , as well as in Shakai and Tiarza . Despite the military's superiority in numbers, former security chief of the tribal regions, Mahmood Shah, told the Voice of America (VOA) news agency it would not be an easy battle. "This 30,000 against 10,000 is a conventional battle," he said. "The militants do not fight conventional battles." He also said he expects the military will face an enemy deeply entrenched in the mountainous and remote region. He also cautions that militants will likely launch suicide attacks elsewhere. Top army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas has stated that the offensive could last up to two months, but that because of impending climatic conditions they would try to complete the attack by snowfall. A formal announcement on the start of the operation is expected by Prime Minister Gilani. Officials have said that four soldiers were wounded during clashes and that remote-controlled bomb attacks killed two soldiers in North Waziristan and one in South Waziristan. The three soldiers' bodies have been taken to Ramzak . There are also unconfirmed reports of militant deaths. Experts estimate the number of militants between 10,000 and 12,000 from the Tehreek-e-Taliban movement in South Waziristan and up to 25,000 across Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt, with up to 5,000 Uzbek fighters supporting the Taliban.
Pakistani officials say the military has launched its much anticipated ground offensive against the and al-Qaeda in the tribal region. Fierce fighting has broken out and dozens of casualties are reported on both sides. North and South Waziristan (2006) This mountainous district forms part of the Afghan border, which United States officials call the most dangerous place in the world. It is considered to be a stronghold for the Taliban. An attack by US drones on this area killed the former Pakistani Taliban chief and it shelters the new leader . It is also has training camps for suicide bombers. The US has put pressure on the Pakistani government to deal with militancy in the area. 30,000 troops which had been moved into the area over the past few months moved out of their bases in and around South Waziristan on Saturday, hours after top military and political leaders were briefed by army chief General in the capital, . The troops advanced north towards the stronghold of , west towards , and , and east towards , . "The recent upsurge of terror incidents in the country were condemned and it was agreed that these elements pose a serious threat to the sovereignty and integrity of the state [...] In the given circumstances, the national consensus is reaffirmed to establish and maintain the writ of the state to weed out these elements," said Pakistani Prime Minister . Hours ahead of Saturday's offensive, Pakistani authorities imposed a curfew and turned off mobile phone service in parts of South Waziristan in the district of , as well as in and . Despite the military's superiority in numbers, former security chief of the tribal regions, Mahmood Shah, told the (VOA) news agency it would not be an easy battle. "This 30,000 against 10,000 is a conventional battle," he said. "The militants do not fight conventional battles." He also said he expects the military will face an enemy deeply entrenched in the mountainous and remote region. He also cautions that militants will likely launch suicide attacks elsewhere. Top army spokesman Major General has stated that the offensive could last up to two months, but that because of impending climatic conditions they would try to complete the attack by snowfall. A formal announcement on the start of the operation is expected by Prime Minister Gilani. Officials have said that four soldiers were wounded during clashes and that remote-controlled bomb attacks killed two soldiers in and one in South Waziristan. The three soldiers' bodies have been taken to . There are also unconfirmed reports of militant deaths. Experts estimate the number of militants between 10,000 and 12,000 from the movement in South Waziristan and up to 25,000 across Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt, with up to 5,000 fighters supporting the Taliban.
D
Taliban
D
South Waziristan
D
Baitullah Mehsud
D
Hakimullah Mehsud
D
Ashfaq Pervez Kayanimain
D
Islamabad
R
Mehsud stronghold of Makeen
stronghold of
D
Kunigaram, Saam and Baddar
A
, and
R
Kotkai, Spinkai Raghzai
,
D
Yousuf Raza Gilani
D
Wana
R
Shakai and Tiarza
and
D
Voice of America
D
Athar Abbas
D
North Waziristan
D
Ramzak
D
Tehreek-e-Taliban
D
Uzbek