Pakistan army plans to open second front against Taliban

[Turborama]

Source: The Telegraph


Pakistan plans to escalate its military operations against the Taliban massively by opening a second front in the country's lawless border areas.

By Isambard Wilkinson, Islamabad Correspondent

The army, which is fighting in Swat Valley and two neighbouring districts in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), is planning to begin a new offensive in the badlands of the Waziristan tribal areas as early as next month, sources told The Daily Telegraph.

"The army is planning to go into Waziristan, possibly in June, which will involve huge numbers of troops in an attempt to establish some sort of state control over the area," said a source close to the Pakistani military.

The most likely first target of operations will be the head of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, whose stronghold is in South Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan.

=snip=

Mehsud, 35, who claimed responsibility for the attack on a police training centre outside Lahore in March, is head of the loosely bound alliance of Pakistani Taliban groups. In March, the US state department described Mehsud, a former gym instructor, as a "key al-Qaeda facilitator" and offered a $5 million (£3.3 million) reward for information leading to his arrest.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/5314166/Pakistan-army-plans-to-open-second-front-against-Taliban.html