Pak forces crackdown on militants in NWFP, 8 killed

The crackdown came after the militants attacked several terminals in Peshawar used by convoys ferrying supplies to US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Over 300 containers and armoured vehicles were destroyed in recent attacks.

The militants had also targeted supply convoys and fuel tankers along the Pakistan-Afghanistan highway in Khyber Agency.

Officials said the offensive is currently focussed on Jamrud, the main town in Khyber Agency that is located on the key highway. The operation is aimed at restoring the government’s writ in the area and will continue till all militants from four groups, including the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, are flushed out of the region, they said.

“Anyone who shows resistance will be dealt with sternly,” Tariq Hayat, the local administrative officer, told a news conference. He said several people had been arrested and will be punished under British-era laws known as the Frontier Crimes Regulations.

“The offensive has been launched to secure the Pakistan-Afghanistan highway,” he added. An indefinite curfew was clamped in Jamrud and all educational institutions were closed. Announcements were made on loudspeakers asking people to stay indoors.

The highway between Pakistan and Afghanistan was closed and the border check post at Torkham was sealed. The movement of NATO convoys too was suspended.

Four militant groups are operating in Khyber Agency the local Taliban led by Baitullah Mehsud, Lashkar-e-Islami, Ansar-ul-Islam and Amar Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munkar.

Besides attacks on supply convoys, incidents of kidnapping had increased in Khyber Agency in recent months. Pakistani troops are already engaged in operations against Taliban militants in the Bajaur tribal region and Swat valley of the North West Frontier Agency.