First Battle of Swat

Last updated

First Battle of Swat
(Operation Rah-e-Haq)
Part of Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Date25 October – 8 December 2007
(1 month, 1 week and 6 days)
Location
Result

Pakistani victory [1] [2] [3] [4]

Belligerents

Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan

Flag of Tehrik-i-Taliban.svg TTP

Commanders and leaders
Flag of the Pakistani Army.svg Naser Janjua [5]
Air Force Ensign of Pakistan.svg Zahir Ali Khan
Tnsm-flag.svg Maulana Fazlullah
Units involved
Flag of the Pakistani Army.svg 10th Infantry Division
Flag of the Pakistani Army.svg 12th Regular Army Regiment
Air Force Ensign of Pakistan.svg No. 20 Squadron Eagles
Special Combat Unit
Flag of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.svg FCKP(N)
Unknown
Strength
3,000–5,000 1,000
Casualties and losses
15 soldiers killed, [6]
3 policemen killed
250 killed [6]
143 captured [5]

The First Battle of Swat, also known as Operation Rah-e-Haq, was fought between Pakistan and the Tehrik-i-Taliban in late 2007 over control of the Swat District of Pakistan.

Contents

The battle began on 25 October 2007 and involved the Pakistani Army and TTP-led forces in a fight for control of the Swat district of Pakistan. From 25 October 2007, to 7 November 2007, the militants quickly seized control of the region. On 15 November 2007, a Pakistani offensive commenced.

Battle

First phase – Taliban occupy Swat

On 24 October, more than 3,000 Pakistani infantry troops were sent to Swat to confront Taliban forces that were massing in the district in a bid to impose their version of Sharia law in the valley that included preventing women's education, death penalty for barbers, music shop owners, and thieves, along with an anti Polio-vaccination campaign to prevent the local population from getting vaccinated. The Pakistani infantry troops deployed to the hill-tops of the rugged terrain. On 25 October, heavy fighting started with a suicide bomber attacking a paramilitary truck and killing 17 soldiers and 13 civilians. Fighting erupted in the hills with Taliban forces attacking military posts and the military attacking Taliban mountain hideouts. By 31 October, the military reported that up to 130 militant fighters were killed, however the next day about 700 militants overran a police position on a hill in Khwazakhela. Police forces in Matta were completely surrounded by the end of the day. The Taliban also overran the nearby town of Khwazakhela, thus taking two police stations and took a large arsenal of weapons that was in them. There was no major fighting until 7 November, when the Taliban continued their advance and took the town of Madyan. The police there also gave up their weapons, vehicles and control of local police stations. The insurgents occupied the floodplain side of the broad Swat river, which sweeps up towards the Hindu Kush mountains, while the remaining Pakistani infantry troops held the road that follows the steep, forested hills. This left the Taliban in control of most of the Swat district and by then they had already set up their own local 'governors' in Tehsil Kabal, Matta and Khawazkhela. [7]

Second phase – Battle for Shangla, Pakistani offensives

On 12 November, 5,000 soldiers belonging to 12th Regular Army were deployed to Swat to bolster the already 15,000 para-military and police that were already fighting to keep what ground of the district they still held. The Pakistan Army mounted a number of operations to counter the militants and their expanse. However, on 15 November, militants advanced from Swat, which was now under their control, into the next district to the east, Shangla. That day Alpuri, which is the district headquarters of Shangla, fell to the Taliban insurgents. As the militant force was coming towards the town the police force deserted without a fight. [8] The military quickly turned the focus of their operations now not to take back Swat but to keep Shangla. By 17 November, an estimated 100 militants were killed in the fighting. On 25 November, Taliban forces decided to leave Alpuri because of the huge Pakistani infantry forces moving towards the area. The Taliban evacuated Alpuri and took up positions on the mountaintops around the town. Meanwhile, in Swat on 26 November, Pakistani artillery resulted in the death of two top Taliban commanders. With artillery fire and ground forces, the Pakistani Army tried to recapture many strategic hilltops from the Taliban and indeed, they managed to capture some of the hilltops and drove the Taliban back to the Swat district. The fighting for the hilltops left 4 Pakistani soldiers and 45 Taliban forces. On 27 November, Pakistani forces secured Shangla.

Third phase

Pakistani forces had retaken the Shangla district, but pockets of Swat were still in the hands of the insurgents. By 27 November, Pakistani ground forces were not able to reach Matta, Khwazakhela, Charbagh and other sensitive areas occupied by militants. The security forces concentrated on Imam Dehri, the native village of Maulana Fazlullah, and nearby Kuza Banda, Bara Banda and Nigwalai. [9] Once fighting commenced, most insurgents retreated to nearby areas. The highest peak in the Kabal district was retaken and other recent gains were consolidated. [10]

After suffering colossal losses, the militants in Swat vacated all seized police stations and other government buildings by 28 November and decided to go underground while the government closed down all FM radio channels in the district, including the one run by Maulana Fazlullah. [11]

Also on 28 November, the Pakistan Army had cleared Imam Dehri, the headquarters of Maulana Fazlullah's seminary, and police resumed their normal duty in Alpuri, the district headquarters of Shangla. Around 50 militants were killed in four days of fighting. [12] The militants vacated Matta, Khwazakhela and Madyan police stations and fled to nearby forests. They also left the Charbagh police post in Khwazakhela, their stronghold about 27 km from Mingora. Police and troops were yet to enter the areas, as pounding of suspected militant positions continued and specialists were called in to sweep the area for mines and booby traps.

On 5 December, the Pakistan army entered and took full control of the town of Matta, followed by the capture of the towns of Khwazakhela and Imam Dehri on 6 December. Imam Dehri was the previous home of Maulana Fazlullah and his radio station. [5]

Subsequent Operations

In between, Pakistan Army launched various military operations to defeat the Taliban militants. Operation Rah-e-Haq-II was launched in July 2008 as the first infantry division was deployed. This time the military operation was led by both Air Force and Army. The operation was relied on both air power as well as heavy artillery. Soon the Taliban Forces, led by Faqir Mohammed, started playing havoc in Bajaur Agency. So the Army started Operation Sherdil.

The Army launched Operation Rah-e-Haq-III in January 2009 to secure the main supply lines and consolidate Swat District. Frontier Corps infantry troops provided help to four army infantry brigades. The last week of January saw intensive aerial and artillery bombing. The forces regained Mingora and were poised to push the Taliban out of the district when Sufi Muhammad was released and Shariah was introduced in Swat and Malakand. The government seemed confident of the outcome of the peace deal. However, it was later proved to be a setup by government to deceive Taliban.

When the situation went out of hand as predicted, the provincial government requested the center to ask the Army to provide help, built nation support across this phenomenon and evacuate almost 2 million civilians from Sawat Valley to conduct an all out operation against the Taliban.

Aftermath

Despite the victory by the Pakistani army, Taliban militants slowly re-entered Swat over the following months and started engaging security forces in battles that lasted throughout 2008. By early February 2009, the Taliban had managed to regain control of most of Swat and at least 80 percent of the district was under their control. [13]

February 2009 ceasefire

The Pakistani government announced on 16 February 2009 that it would allow the Sharia law under the government's supervision with a sharia courts set up by the Government of Pakistan under the Shariat appellate bench of the Supreme court in the Malakand region. In return, Fazlullah's followers agreed to observe a ceasefire negotiated by Sufi Muhammad. [14] [15] [16] But the government of Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari later changed the agreement to allow the right of appeal to the supreme court of Pakistan (a secular institution observing the Pakistani penal code based on English common law) on verdicts issues by the Shariat court which was unacceptable to the TNSM and would be the precursor to the Second Battle of Swat [ citation needed ]

Reactions to the Ceasefire

See also

Related Research Articles

The Pakistan Rangers are a pair of paramilitary federal law enforcement corps' in Pakistan. The two corps are the Punjab Rangers and the Sindh Rangers. There is also a third corps headquarters in Islamabad but is only for units transferred from the other corps for duties in the federal capital. They are both part of the Civil Armed Forces. The corps' operate administratively under the Pakistan Army but under separate command structures and wear distinctly different uniforms. However, they are usually commanded by officers on secondment from the Pakistan Army. Their primary purpose is to secure and defend the approximately 2,200 km (1,400 mi) long border with neighbouring India. They are also often involved in major internal and external security operations with the regular Pakistani military and provide assistance to provincial police forces to maintain law and order against crime, terrorism and unrest. In addition, the Punjab Rangers, together with the Indian Border Security Force, participate in an elaborate flag lowering ceremony at the Wagah−Attari border crossing east of Lahore. The mutually-recognized India–Pakistan international border is different from the disputed and heavily militarized Line of Control (LoC), where the Pakistani province of Punjab adjoins Jammu and Kashmir and the undisputed international border effectively ends. Consequently, the LoC is not managed by the paramilitary Punjab Rangers, but by the regular Pakistan Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mingora</span> City in Swat Valley, Pakistan

Mingora is a city in the Swat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Located on the Swat River, it is the 3rd largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the 26th largest in Pakistan. Mingora is the largest city and the epicenter of social, cultural, and economic activities in Malakand Division, and also the largest in the northern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Medusa</span> Military operation in Afghanistan

Operation Medusa was a Canadian-led offensive during the second Battle of Panjwaii of the War in Afghanistan. The operation was fought primarily by the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group and other elements of the International Security Assistance Force, including A Co, 2-4 Infantry BN, 4th BDE, 10th Mtn Division, supported by the Afghan National Army and a team from the United States Army's 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) augmented by C Company, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division. Its goal was to establish government control over an area of Kandahar Province centered in the district of Panjwayi some 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Kandahar city. A tactical victory, it resulted in the deaths of 12 Canadian soldiers; five during the major combat operations, five in bombings, and two in a mortar/RPG attack during the reconstruction phase of the operation. Fourteen British military personnel were also killed when their plane crashed. Despite suffering a brutal battlefield defeat, the Taliban retained their presence in Kandahar province and did not lose their will to fight, leading to the subsequent Operation Falcon Summit. Nonetheless, Operation Medusa was at the time the most significant land battle ever undertaken by NATO.

Alpuri is the capital of Shangla District in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 34°54′00″N72°39′00″E and has an average elevation of 1587 meters. The place has a government degree college and District headquarters hospital. District police officer, deputy commissioner and various offices are also located here. It is famous for its cold weather in summer and snow fall in winter. For local people it is the hub of healthcare as it has a district headquarter hospital and multiple private hospitals such as Mansoor doctors' hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa</span> Armed conflict involving Pakistan and armed militant groups

The insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also known as the War in North-West Pakistan or Pakistan's war on terror, is an ongoing armed conflict involving Pakistan and Islamist militant groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jundallah, Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI), TNSM, al-Qaeda, and their Central Asian allies such as the ISIL–Khorasan (ISIL), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, East Turkistan Movement, Emirate of Caucasus, and elements of organized crime. Formerly a war, it is now a low-level insurgency as of 2017.

Fazal Hayat, more commonly known by his pseudonym Mullah Fazlullah, was an Islamist jihadist militant who was the leader of the Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi, and was the leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Swat Valley. On 7 November 2013, he became the emir of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, and presided over the descent of the group into factions who are often at war with each other. Fazlullah was designated by the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee of the Security Council in 2015, and was added to the U.S. State Department's Rewards for Justice wanted list on 7 March 2018. Fazlullah was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Kunar, Afghanistan on 14 June 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martung</span> Tehsil and village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Martung, Mārtung or Martoong is a highland village and tehsil of Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan included in Puran Subdivision. Central Martung (Koozkalai) is 982 m above sea level., Being hilly area, some parts of Martung are even more than 1800 m above mean sea level. Alogai is a place with scattered population in Martung having an altitude of 1641 meters. Martung is a green valley situated in the south-east of Shangla District, about 5 km north-west from River Indus. Major villages of the sub tehsil include Kabalgram, Pishlor, Titwalan, Koozkalai, Manzkalai, Shaga and Karindara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistani Taliban</span> Islamist militant organization operating along the Durand Line

The Pakistani Taliban, formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan, is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, its current leader is Noor Wali Mehsud, who has publicly pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban. The Pakistani Taliban share a common ideology with the Afghan Taliban and have assisted them in the 2001–2021 war, but the two groups have separate operation and command structures.

Kabalgram or Kabal Gram is a village with the largest population in Martung Tehsil of Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Pakistan. It is situated on the extreme right bank of River Indus and is south-east to Kuzkalai, the central village of Martung. River Indus is the boundary of Shangla with Tor-Ghar District of Hazara division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi</span> Islamist militant group founded in 1992

Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi is an Islamic extremist militant group. The group swore an oath of loyalty to Pakistani Taliban and become the part of it in 2007 aftermath the siege of Lal Masjid. The group's stated objective is to enforce Sharia law in Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sufi Muhammad</span> Pakistani cleric and leader of the Islamist TNSM (1933–2019)

Sufi Muhammad bin Alhazrat Hassan was a Pakistani Sunni Islamist cleric and militant, and the founder of Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM), a militant group vying for implementation of Sharia in Pakistan. It operated mainly in the Dir, Swat, and Malakand districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The Nizam-e-Adl Regulation was a controversial act, passed on April 13, 2009 by Government of Pakistan that formally established Sharia law in the Malakand division. PPP-led central government passed the bill after a coalition partner ANP government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa negotiated the peace deal with outlawed Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Black Thunderstorm</span> Military operation conducted by Pakistan against militants

Operation Black Thunderstorm was a military operation that commenced on April 26, 2009, conducted by the Pakistan Army, with the aim of retaking Buner, Lower Dir, Swat and Shangla districts from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan after the militants took control of them since the start of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Swat</span> 2009 conflict in Pakistan

The Second Battle of Swat also known as Operation Rah-e-Rast, began in May 2009 and involved the Pakistan Army and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants in a fight for control of the Swat district of Pakistan. The first Battle of Swat had ended with a peace agreement, that the government had signed with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in February 2009. However, by late April 2009 government troops and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan began to clash once again, and in May the government launched a military offensive code-named Operation Black Thunderstorm throughout the Swat district and elsewhere to oppose the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Rah-e-Nijat</span> 2009 military offensive by the Pakistan Armed Forces against the Tehrik-i-Taliban

The Operation Rah-e-Nijat was a strategic offensive military operation by the unified command of Pakistan Armed Forces against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and their extremist allies in the South Waziristan area of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas that began on June 19, 2009; a major ground-air offensive was subsequently launched on October 17. It became the integral part of the war in Western fronts which led to the encirclement and destruction of Taliban forces in the region, although the Taliban leadership escaped to lawless areas of neighboring Afghanistan.

The Operation Zalzala, was a Pakistan Army military offensive manhunt and a counter-insurgent operation that was commenced on 18 January 2008. The operation concluded with mixed results as the army had successfully captured the area, but had failed to capture or kill Qari Hussain, the main objective of the operation.

In 2007, 34 terrorist attacks and clashes, including suicide attacks, killings, and assassinations, resulted in 134 casualties and 245 injuries, according to the PIPS security report. The report states that Pakistan faced 20 suicide attacks during 2007, which killed at least 111, besides injuring another 234 people. The PIPS report shows visible increase in suicide attacks after the siege of Lal Masjid.

Maulana Shah Dauran was an Islamist militant from Swat, Pakistan. He was a deputy of Fazlullah, the chief of the Pakistani Taliban in Swat. He was one of the most wanted militants and the closest aide of Swat Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah. He was known for his hawkish views against the opponents. The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announced a 10 million rupees bounty on Dauran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Halmazag</span> Offensive operation in Afghanistan

Operation Halmazag was an offensive operation by ISAF German-led troops in close cooperation with the Afghan security forces in the province of Kunduz, from 31 October to 4 November 2010, with the aim of building a permanent outpost near the village of Quatliam in the Char Dara district, south-west of Kunduz. The operation was the first German military ground offensive since World War II.

On 12 October 2009, a suicide bomber detonated himself in front of a military truck as it passed through a busy market in Alpuri town, Shangla District, Pakistan. Shangla is a district adjacent to the Swat Valley, which was recently the focus of a military operation against the Taliban.

References

  1. Abbas, Hassan. “Pakistan’s Counterterrorism Strategy and Its Implications for Domestic, Regional and International Security.” International Affairs, vol. 97, no. 3, 2021, pp. 709-726.
  2. Blank, Jonah. "Pakistan Captures Taliban Headquarters Town." Reuters, 24 May 2009, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-swat-idUSTRE54N0YR20090524.
  3. Fair, C. Christine. Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army's Way of War. Oxford University Press, 2014.
  4. Abbas, H. (2021). Pakistan’s counterterrorism strategy and its implications for domestic, regional and international security. International Affairs, 97(3), 709-726. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiab035
  5. 1 2 3 "Pakistan hunting Swat militants". BBC News. 8 December 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  6. 1 2 "Pakistan army retakes Swat towns". BBC. 6 December 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  7. http://in.news.yahoo.com/071107/139/6mygo.html%5B%5D
  8. Perlez, Jane; Khan, Ismail (16 November 2007). "Militants Gain Despite Decree by Musharraf". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  9. Army assault continues on militant strongholds DAWN newspaper
  10. Pakistan army 'retakes key peak' BBC News
  11. Swat militants take to the woods The NEWS international
  12. Troops wrest control of key Swat areas Dawn, 29 November 2007.
  13. https://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20090130/wl_csm/oswat_1%5B%5D
  14. 1 2 Ali, Zulfiqar; Laura King (17 February 2009). "Pakistan officials allow Sharia in volatile region". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  15. BBC News - Pakistan agrees Sharia law deal
  16. Toosi, Nahal (15 February 2009). "Taliban to cease fire in Pakistan's Swat Valley". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  17. "Pakistan Blasted for Creating Taliban Safe Haven With Islamic Law Deal". Fox News. 17 February 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2009.