Pak hunts for Mehsud, pounds Taliban hideouts

Pressing on with the offensive against Taliban, Pakistani warplanes on Friday pounded several militant training centres in the restive South Waziristan, the stronghold of feared terrorist leader Baitullah Mehsud, while fresh fighting flared elsewhere in the unruly tribal belt.

Fighter jets struck Taliban hideouts at Sarwakai and Madiyan in South Waziristan during early morning strikes.

Several militants were killed or injured in the attacks, which are aimed at softening up the area before a planned ground offensive against the followers of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Mehsud.

Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar said the military would hit Mehsud as soon as he was located. "We are looking for him. Once we know where he is, then we will not miss him because we have the F-16s. They are very precise, they have laser-guided bombs and they can work better than a drone."

The air strikes came a day after a US drone attack in the same region killed at least 13 militants. Over the past few days, gunship helicopters and jets have pounded targets in South Waziristan. Troops have imposed an economic blockade on areas dominated by the Mehsud tribe and sealed off key roads.

Dozens of Baitullah Mehsud's supporters have also been rounded up as troops completed their deployment in several parts of the semi-autonomous tribal region. The offensive in South Waziristan is likely to be launched soon as operation in Swat and Malakand is winding down.

The military said four militants were killed and a soldier was injured in fighting during the past 24 hours in Buner and other parts of Malakand division in the northwestern tribal region. Two militants were also apprehended.

Four militants were killed when an exchange of fire erupted while troops were carrying out a search operation at Sar Qila in Buner district.

Security forces arrested two militants from Khwazakhela and Karaora in Swat valley. A soldier was injured during an exchange of fire between militants and troops who were establishing a check post at Chungai.

Troops also conducted a clearance operation in the area around Zarakhela, Khwazakhela and Matta in Swat and seized three 12 bore rifles. In the Mohmand tribal region, troops secured Mohmand Gate, Nawapass, Ghungat, Kuz and Chamarkand and destroyed two training centres of terrorists.

However, the army has not yet eliminated the top militant leadership in Swat, including local Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah and his aides.

Analysts also believe the campaign in South Waziristan will be tougher and bloodier than the operation in Swat. The mass arrest of Mehsud tribesmen has already sparked anger among the local population.

The Defence Minister told Dawn News channel that the "government has taken the principled stand that if Baitullah Mehsud hits us in some place in Pakistan, we will hit him wherever he is hiding".

Though he described the threat posed by Mehsud as "not very serious", Mukhtar said the local Taliban chief was "creating chaos in this country by sending suicide bombers."

Referring to the military offensive against Taliban in the northwestern Swat valley and nearby areas, Mukhtar said the operation in this region "has practically ended" and people displaced by the fighting would be allowed to return to their homes from June 20. The return of the displaced people would be completed within 90 days, he added.

Keeping up their violent campaign against modern education, Taliban militants today blew up two schools in Bajaur Agency. No loss of life was reported in the two attacks. The number of schools destroyed by the Taliban in the semi-autonomous tribal region has now gone up to 49.

Meanwhile, senior Awami National Party leader Afzal Khan Lala, who was shifted from Swat to Islamabad due to threats to his life from the Taliban, today returned with his family to his hometown of Durshkhela. The octogenarian Lala, who has escaped several attempts on his life, had earlier refused to leave Swat.

In another incident of violence elsewhere in the country, one person was killed and 17 other were injured when a bomb went off in a bus stand in southwestern Balochistan province.