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ISLAMABAD, Dec 12: Security forces are engaged in building bridges with tribesmen and clerics in the Waziristan area after divesting terrorists of their sanctuaries, weapons and sophisticated communication apparatus.
Key military sources said the tribesmen and clerics provided protection to foreign militants for money or under the pretext of jihad and hospitality. "After having blunted the physical capabilities of the militants and their breeding grounds, the biggest challenge for us now in Waziristan (region) is to win over the local population and not alienating it," military sources involved in the operations said.
The security forces are conscious of the fact that foreign elements may be down for the moment but are not totally out. There appears to be a consensus among strategists that unless the mindset of these militants and their protectors changes, they could rise again.
They reckon that use of force cannot bring about change of psyche, so 'cleanup' operations in the area must come coupled with efforts to meaningfully engage with the locals through dialogue and confidence-building measures.
"Pacification of the locals," is the term used by military men who believe that action and force alone cannot change the beliefs of militants or compel them to surrender.
"With barrel of a gun you cannot change their ideology. Terrorism will end with transformation of the mind which is possible through improved interaction," observed a serving military official.
This view is also shared by many others in the military establishment who prefer a peaceful resolution of the issue than fire-fighting. Top military officials have been regularly interacting with the Maliks (tribal leaders) and local clerics.
They have had long sessions with them debating the questions of jihad, fasad and haram. One positive outcome was that in April the Mehsuds and the Wazirs, who supposedly cannot sit together on one table, gave a consensus statement condemning militancy and supporting the path of peace.
Slowly but surely, say military-men, the security forces are winning the hearts and minds of the locals who have had to pay a heavy price for supporting the foreign elements.
It is believed that 65,000 people were displaced from the Mehsud area due to military operations in the frontier. Four trucks of clothes and food supplies were dispatched to them by the Pakistan Army who also gave compensation to families of innocent victims who died in crossfire.
A recent jirga of Mehsud Maliks declared its support to the commanding officer. Also, some foreign militants who are on the run now feel isolated, claim source. They are said to be bargaining an exit route.
Offers of safe passage and amnesty have been made to militants but no foreign militant has surrendered as a result, only some of their local supporters have.
Top officials in the Pakistani military establishment maintain that while they have managed to dismantle terrorist bases along approximately 8,250km of 'no-go areas' that have been opened up, they have yet to rid the area of all terrorists.
"We have achieved all aims except eliminating terrorism in the area," said one a military strategist hinting that military operations would continue there till that objective was also achieved.
TRAINING BASES: Sources disclosed that some 13 Al Qaeda-sponsored training bases busted by the Pakistani security forces were acting as mini-GHQ with sophisticated communication apparatus and electronic equipment operated with petrol generators.
In Nano village of South Waziristan, seven caves were discovered. The material and documents seized reflected the organizational skills and an elaborate set up comprising departments of finance, propaganda and psychology.
Items and gadgets confiscated from an underground cellar in Ida Khan House in South Waziristan included laptop computers, laser jet printers, scanners, telescopes, cameras, digital handy-cams and uninterrupted power supply (UPS) units.
Other items recovered from Mehsud training compound included CDs in Arabic and English languages, manuals of home made explosive devices with diagrams, TVs, VCRs, latest English movies, including pornographic material. Cans of Tuna fish and chocolates were also found in abundance.
It seems unlikely that the current level of Pakistani troop deployment in the area will be reduced in the near future. The stir created from here till across the Atlantic by the announcement of troop reduction in South Waziristan last month makes it quite clear.
However, top military officials say once Abdullah Mehsud and Baitullah are caught, their major job would be done in the area. They believe the rest could be taken care of by establishing long-term military and security presence in some of the troubled zones in the area.
