Pakistani aircraft pound militants in tribal areas
Death toll from strikes targeting areas in North and South Waziristan rises to 30
Pakistani fighter jets bombarded Taliban hideouts in the troubled northwest on Tuesday, killing at least 30 in the fourth airstrikes since peace talks stalled, in what analysts say is a surgical operation to reassert the military’s dominance.
The early morning attacks on hideouts in the North and South Waziristan tribal districts were the latest in a series of airstrikes by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) since February 20 that have killed more than 100 alleged militants.
Experts say the strikes are designed to give the military the upper-hand if talks eventually resume and do not believe the army is prepared to launch a full-fledged operation in the area.
The peace process if it continues now would be from a position of strength and not from a position of weakness
Independent verification of the death tolls in the strikes has not been possible since it is difficult for journalists to enter the area and civilian administrators are reluctant to comment.
“The death toll from the airstrikes (on Tuesday) has risen to 30,” a security official in Peshawar said, updating the earlier death toll of 15.
The focus of Tuesday’s attacks, which also involved helicopter gunships, was mostly the mountainous Shawal valley and Datta Khel in North Waziristan, and Sararogha in neighbouring South Waziristan, the officials said.
Helicopter gunships were still continuing shelling in both North and South Waziristan, considered bastions of Taliban and al-Qaeda militants, they added.
Residents said hundreds of families have fled their homes.