Army guns eye North Waziristan

ISLAMABAD - In the wake of deadliest militants’ attack on military convoy in North Waziristan Sunday evening, Pakistani security forces may launch another offensive in this tribal region along with the ongoing operation in the adjoining South Waziristan Agency.
The Taliban militants, led by influential commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, not only killed over 20 military personnel in the deadly ambush in North Waziristan but also announced scrapping of peace deal that they reached with the North Waziristan’s administration in early 2008 citing the repeated US missile strikes and army offensive in the adjacent semi-tribal area of Jani Khel as the major reasons behind their decision.
“The top security brass is engaged in hectic consultations on possible military operation against Gul Bahadur after the current offensive against Taliban chief, Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan and there is a likelihood it will be launched in next few days,” said a senior official here on Tuesday requesting anonymity.
However, he said that a final decision had not been taken so far as the security circles had also concerns that the army had been overstretched because of ongoing operations at different places such as Swat, Buner, Dir, Bajaur, Jani Khel and South Waziristan and another operation would prove to be a daunting task for it.