AFTER a considerable silence, the military has spoken about the ongoing operation against TTP militants in North Waziristan.

Going by the statistics released by the army on Wednesday, it appears that a significant number of militants have been killed in Operation Zarb-i-Azb, while the terrorist infrastructure has also been neutralised.

The army says 910 suspected militants have been killed since the operation commenced in June while 27 ‘factories’ used to produce IEDs and other munitions have been destroyed. Over 80 troops have also died in the line of duty. The army says it has carried out over 2,200 counter terrorism operations countrywide in the wake of the action in the tribal belt, which is why, it believes, there has been minimal backlash. Indeed, the latter observation is valid — before the operation was launched there were fears that there would be a vicious terrorist backlash against any state action deemed hostile by the militants.

Thankfully, the only major terrorist attack witnessed since Zarb-i-Azb began was the assault on two airbases in Quetta last month. However, the operation will only be judged a success in the long term if the militant infrastructure is permanently dismantled and those with blood on their hands brought to justice.

Meanwhile, the banned TTP has contested the military’s claims, saying only 25 to 30 of its fighters have been killed, adding that its bomb factories had been shifted to ‘safe places’. The militants may be on the run, but a clear victory against them can only be achieved if they are put out of business altogether. For example, despite counter terrorism operations conducted in Bajaur and Swat in the past, these areas have yet to return to complete normalcy.

In a related vein, the US military leadership has offered its own view of the operation in North Waziristan. Senior US generals have said it is “too soon” to evaluate the action in the tribal areas. They have observed that Pakistan will have to “clear, hold and build” the territory that has been taken back from militants.

They have a point. But what the Americans in Afghanistan and the government in Kabul can do on their part is to prevent militants on the run from taking refuge in the areas bordering Pakistan, while the latter must challenge those using its territory to fight Kabul. Most importantly, the US can help Pakistan rebuild North Waziristan in order to help bring the troubled area into the national mainstream.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2014