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Now, Mehsud will feel the heat

ISLAMABAD: The possibility of the Pakistan Army expanding operations to the Waziristan tribal areas drew closer with a top functionary of the North-West Frontier Province said orders had been given to security forces for a “full-fledged operation” against Taliban commander Beithullah Mehsud and his fighters.

“The government has decided to launch an operation against militants in FATA. It has been decided that a comprehensive and decisive operation will be launched to eliminate Beithullah Mehsud and dismantle his network,” said NWFP Governor Owais Ghani at a press conference on Sunday night.

Over the last few days, the military has been carrying out operations against Taliban hideouts in Bannu Frontier Region, an area abutting North Waziristan, giving credence to the view that the operation may expand soon into the tribal areas.

Fighter planes also carried out strikes in the South Waziristan tribal area last Saturday, the headquarters of Mehsud and his Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

According to the military, the strikes, which it said killed 30 militants, were in response to last Friday’s targeted killing of Allama Sarfaraz Naeemi, a noted Barelvi scholar, in Lahore by a suicide bomber. The killing was claimed by Mehsud.

But there is also a view that the military will not rush into the Waziristan area until it manages to fully secure Swat, where it is presently engaged in anti-Taliban operations.

Military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas indicated as much when he said the military would “evaluate” the order that the government had announced.

Describing Mehsud as the “root” of the problem, Mr. Ghani said the Mehsud tribe had been warned several times that they must give up their “miscreant” activities and not shelter foreign militants. “They kept on with their miscreant activities and continued to harbour terrorists. As a result, many people have lost their lives in suicide attacks in [several cities],” he said. The Governor said the Taliban was tarnishing the image of the country and maligning Islam. “They are enemies of Islam and Pakistan who want to destabilise the country,” he said.

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