Battle of Bajaur
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Bajaur or Operation Sherdil was a military offensive in the Bajaur
region of Pakistan
launched by the Frontier Corps supported by a Combat Brigade of the Pakistan Army. The Bajaur area had been under Taliban control since early 2007, and was said to be Al-Qaeda
's main command and control hub for operations in Northeast Afghanistan
, including Kunar province
. Bajaur is now cleared of Taliban.
. The 150-strong force drawn from the paramilitary Frontier Corps
were surrounded by several hundred Taliban fighters, and heavy fighting erupted as they tried to break out. After a three-day battle the Pakistani troops retreated from Loyesam back to Khar, and the Taliban seemed victorious.
attack helicopter
s and fighter jets that pounded Taliban holdouts. To support the Army, Pakistan Air Force responded with aggressive air campaigns. Pakistani military sources indicate that the army has been surprised by the resistance the insurgents have been putting up. The Taliban have been using advanced tactics, fighting from prepared defenses.
By the end of the year the Army claimed to have killed more than 1,000 militants, including the local Al-Qaeda
commander, an Egypt
ian called Abu Saeed Al-Masri. The Army suffered 82 killed. The Pakistani army has also encouraged local tribes to rise against the Taliban, by raising lashkars (tribal militias) to fight alongside the government forces. The Salarzai
tribe, that reportedly counts 4,000 armed fighters, responded favourably to this initiative. On 7 October, the Salarzai elders announced that they had cleared their tribal territory of militants, and requested the deployment of government troops to consolidate the gains they had made.
According to several sources, the 20 September Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing
may have been carried out in retaliation for the military offensive in Bajaur.
On 8 October, during a briefing to the Parliament
, the military announced that 2,744 militants, including 321 foreigners, had been killed and 1,400 injured since the start of the operation in the whole of Pakistan. On 25 October , the Pakistan Army reported that they had recaptured Loi Sam from the Taliban. In Bajaur itself by 25 October 500 militants were reported to have been killed. By the end of 2008 security forces were in control of the main road Torghudai, Nawagai, Uttmankhel Area and Salarzai Area. By mid 2009, the Security forces controlled bulk of Mamond and Chahrmang valleys as well.The final operation was launched in February 2010 with fresh re-enforcements to mop up the last pockets of militants including the notorious Damadola stronghold and finally Bajaur was declared clear in March 2010. Completion of kinetic operations resulted in massive surrenders and beginning of Cordon and Search Operations.
(ISAF) has been seen as a further sign of the defining nature of the battle.
had killed most militants in Bajaur, the smallest of the agencies but a major infiltration route into Afghanistan, after a six-month offensive. By the time the six-month long battle in Bajaur was over, the Pakistan Army killed over 1,500 militants while losing 97 of their own soldiers and another 404 soldiers seriously injured.
Abid Mumtaz, served as the Officer commanding of Operation Sherdil in Bajaur. A commander noted for leading his troops from the front. He demonstrated an example of his dedication to service on 9 September 2008, when the leading force under his command reached Rashakai the line of communication was disrupted by the militants at Nissarabad, he chose to remain with the forward troops and physically led the forward forces in all link up attempts for 15 days, falling back to his headquarters only when the line of communication was restored. He was awarded for his gallant actions.
It was the dedicated and unflinching faith of these commanders in their cause that the most resilient and tenacious Al-Qaeda and Taliban elements were defeatead and annihilated from the restive Valley of Bajuar.
Nauman Saeed, served as the operations commandant in Bajaur, he was posted in and was due to assume command on 14 August 2008. However owing to extraordinary operational circumstances he had to leave for Bajaur on 6 August 2008.
A party sent to set up a post at Loesam was surrounded by miscreants, Col. Nauman Saeed led a link up force on 8 August 2008 after a failed attempt to link up the previous day. The troops were ambushed at Tankhatta where they fought back and held their positions for over 8 hours against well entrenched militants to facilitate successful ex-filtration of the party surrounded at Loesam.
In another incident, the convoy of Inspector-General
Frontier Corps
Major-General Tariq Khan was ambushed on 9 September 2009 at Nissarabad. Col. Nauman went back to the ambush site with a tank and a Quick Response Force to extricate the crew of a vehicle that had been disabled by militant fire. In the process, the Colonel's tank received multiple hits by RPG-7s, his operator received a bullet injury yet they were able to punish the ambush site and successfully extricate the stranded vehicle along with the soldiers.
The colonel has been decorated.
Bajaur
Bajaur or Bajur or Bajour is an Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Smallest of the agencies in FATA, it has a hilly terrain. According to the 1998 census, the population was 595,227 but other more recent estimates it has grown to 757,000...
region of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
launched by the Frontier Corps supported by a Combat Brigade of the Pakistan Army. The Bajaur area had been under Taliban control since early 2007, and was said to be Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
's main command and control hub for operations in Northeast Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, including Kunar province
Kunar Province
Kunar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. It is one of the four "N2KL" provinces...
. Bajaur is now cleared of Taliban.
Ambush in Bajaur
In early August 2008, a post was established by the Frontier Corps to take control of the border crossing near the town of Loyesam, 12 km from Khar, the Bajaur Agency administration headquarters, from militants loyal to the Tehrik-e-Taliban, the so-called Pakistani Taliban. Loyesam (or Loisam) is a strategic position that controls the passage into Afghanistan's Kunar provinceKunar Province
Kunar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. It is one of the four "N2KL" provinces...
. The 150-strong force drawn from the paramilitary Frontier Corps
Frontier Corps
The Frontier Corps is a federally-controlled paramilitary force of Pakistan, recruited mostly from the tribal areas along the western borders and led by officers from the Pakistan Army...
were surrounded by several hundred Taliban fighters, and heavy fighting erupted as they tried to break out. After a three-day battle the Pakistani troops retreated from Loyesam back to Khar, and the Taliban seemed victorious.
Operation Sherdil
However, several days later the Frontier Corps began a large-scale offensive under the command of Major-General Tariq Khan, codenamed Operation Sherdil (Lionheart), with the objective of regaining control of Bajaur from the Taliban. About 8,000 troops belonging to the FC and Army were involved, backed by CobraAH-1 Cobra
The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a two-bladed, single engine attack helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It shares a common engine, transmission and rotor system with the older UH-1 Iroquois...
attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
An attack helicopter is a military helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the capability of engaging targets on the ground, such as enemy infantry and armored vehicles...
s and fighter jets that pounded Taliban holdouts. To support the Army, Pakistan Air Force responded with aggressive air campaigns. Pakistani military sources indicate that the army has been surprised by the resistance the insurgents have been putting up. The Taliban have been using advanced tactics, fighting from prepared defenses.
By the end of the year the Army claimed to have killed more than 1,000 militants, including the local Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
commander, an Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian called Abu Saeed Al-Masri. The Army suffered 82 killed. The Pakistani army has also encouraged local tribes to rise against the Taliban, by raising lashkars (tribal militias) to fight alongside the government forces. The Salarzai
Salarzai
Salarzais, along with the Kakazai and Wur, are one of the four clans of Tarkanis. There were around 8,000 members in the Babukarrah and Charmung valleys in Bajaur and 150 members in Bara Banda of Nowshera District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in 1910....
tribe, that reportedly counts 4,000 armed fighters, responded favourably to this initiative. On 7 October, the Salarzai elders announced that they had cleared their tribal territory of militants, and requested the deployment of government troops to consolidate the gains they had made.
According to several sources, the 20 September Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing
Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing
The Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing occurred during the night of 20 September 2008, when a dump truck filled with explosives detonated in front of the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, killing at least 54 people, injuring at least 266 and leaving a 60 ft wide, 20 ft ...
may have been carried out in retaliation for the military offensive in Bajaur.
On 8 October, during a briefing to the Parliament
Majlis-e-Shoora
The Parliament of Pakistan, officially termed the Majlis-e-Shoora ; is the federal and supreme legislative body of Pakistan. It is a bicameral federal legislature that consists of the Senate and the National Assembly, the upper and lower houses, respectively...
, the military announced that 2,744 militants, including 321 foreigners, had been killed and 1,400 injured since the start of the operation in the whole of Pakistan. On 25 October , the Pakistan Army reported that they had recaptured Loi Sam from the Taliban. In Bajaur itself by 25 October 500 militants were reported to have been killed. By the end of 2008 security forces were in control of the main road Torghudai, Nawagai, Uttmankhel Area and Salarzai Area. By mid 2009, the Security forces controlled bulk of Mamond and Chahrmang valleys as well.The final operation was launched in February 2010 with fresh re-enforcements to mop up the last pockets of militants including the notorious Damadola stronghold and finally Bajaur was declared clear in March 2010. Completion of kinetic operations resulted in massive surrenders and beginning of Cordon and Search Operations.
Strategic significance
The battle is considered to be a deciding conflict in Pakistan's war against Taliban forces. Military officials have said the conflict "could decide the fate of other tribal areas" saying Bajaur could be the most important militant stronghold outside of Waziristan. An influx of Taliban fighters from Afghanistan, diverting resources from the battle there against the International Security Assistance ForceInternational Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
(ISAF) has been seen as a further sign of the defining nature of the battle.
Defeat of the Taliban
On 28 February 2009, the Security Forces finally defeated the Taliban and other Islamist militants in Bajaur, which was a strategically important region on the Afghan border. Major-General Tariq Khan, who was commanding the military operations in five of the seven agencies, said the Army and the Frontier CorpsFrontier Corps
The Frontier Corps is a federally-controlled paramilitary force of Pakistan, recruited mostly from the tribal areas along the western borders and led by officers from the Pakistan Army...
had killed most militants in Bajaur, the smallest of the agencies but a major infiltration route into Afghanistan, after a six-month offensive. By the time the six-month long battle in Bajaur was over, the Pakistan Army killed over 1,500 militants while losing 97 of their own soldiers and another 404 soldiers seriously injured.
Maj Gen. Tariq Khan
Gen. Tariq Khan Khan served as the Inspector General of the Frontier Corps during Operation Sherdil. He is known as the architect of the Battle of Bajaur. He is largely credited with transforming the Frontier Corps into a highly efficient and professional counter terrorism force. He personally supervised all operations in Bajaur. His physical presence at the forward most positions during critical stages of the battle was an inspiration for the junior leaders and a morale booster for the troops.Brig. Abid Mumtaz
BrigadierBrigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Abid Mumtaz, served as the Officer commanding of Operation Sherdil in Bajaur. A commander noted for leading his troops from the front. He demonstrated an example of his dedication to service on 9 September 2008, when the leading force under his command reached Rashakai the line of communication was disrupted by the militants at Nissarabad, he chose to remain with the forward troops and physically led the forward forces in all link up attempts for 15 days, falling back to his headquarters only when the line of communication was restored. He was awarded for his gallant actions.
Brig. Zafar-Ul-Haq.
Brigadier Zafar-ul-Haq replaced Brig Abid Mumtaz on 24 Feb 2010. Brigadier Zafar-ul-Haq, is a chivalrous and brave commander who has launched numerous operations for final annihlation of Taliban phenomenon from Bajaur. He ensured expansion of security forces in every part of Bajaur. Brigadier Zafar-Ul-Haq has pushed the Taliban quite back away from the locals areas and has insured safety for the local people. Now Bajaur is completely free of Talibans because of the work that Brig Abid Mumtaz, Brig Zafar-Ul-Haq and all the other men who served with them.Battalion Commanders (Operation Sherdil).
Battalion commanders who served in operation sherdil and made the operation a resounding success were:-- Lt Col Baloch & Lt Col Munawar
- Lt Col Anjum Saleem, Lt Col Nadir Khan, Lt Col Rashid
- Lt Col Asad, Lt Col Ali, Lt Col Amjad
It was the dedicated and unflinching faith of these commanders in their cause that the most resilient and tenacious Al-Qaeda and Taliban elements were defeatead and annihilated from the restive Valley of Bajuar.
Col.Nauman Saeed
ColonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Nauman Saeed, served as the operations commandant in Bajaur, he was posted in and was due to assume command on 14 August 2008. However owing to extraordinary operational circumstances he had to leave for Bajaur on 6 August 2008.
A party sent to set up a post at Loesam was surrounded by miscreants, Col. Nauman Saeed led a link up force on 8 August 2008 after a failed attempt to link up the previous day. The troops were ambushed at Tankhatta where they fought back and held their positions for over 8 hours against well entrenched militants to facilitate successful ex-filtration of the party surrounded at Loesam.
In another incident, the convoy of Inspector-General
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
Frontier Corps
Frontier Corps
The Frontier Corps is a federally-controlled paramilitary force of Pakistan, recruited mostly from the tribal areas along the western borders and led by officers from the Pakistan Army...
Major-General Tariq Khan was ambushed on 9 September 2009 at Nissarabad. Col. Nauman went back to the ambush site with a tank and a Quick Response Force to extricate the crew of a vehicle that had been disabled by militant fire. In the process, the Colonel's tank received multiple hits by RPG-7s, his operator received a bullet injury yet they were able to punish the ambush site and successfully extricate the stranded vehicle along with the soldiers.
The colonel has been decorated.