Street fighting with the Uzbeks of Waziristan

Dawn:

Troops fought deadly street battles in a Taliban stronghold and a den of Uzbek fighters on Sunday, pressing their operation in South Waziristan into a third week and killing nine militants.

‘Search and clearance operation in Kaniguram has commenced and 50 per cent of the town has been cleared,’ the military said in a statement.

Troops were fighting street by street in what commanders had described as a major Tehrik-i-Taliban ‘operational centre’ and base for Uzbek fighters, a military official said.

A military officer told reporters on a visit to the area that hundreds of foreign fighters were on the run.

Between 600 and 800 foreign militants had been in and around Kaniguram, but their resistance was broken by heavy bombing from jet fighters, helicopters and artillery, Brig Mohammad Ihsan said.

‘They are on the run,’ he added.

The foreigners were mostly Uzbeks, but also Chechens and Arabs, he said.

He said they might have made a strategic withdrawal, but the military was prepared for any guerilla attacks the militants might mount.

...

There is much more.

It is not clear where the foreign fighters are fleeing to, but my speculation is Northern Waziristan. Hopefully, the army will be able to capture some of them for interrogation on the whereabouts of al Qaeda operatives among them.

Clearing the city should flush out the Uzbeks and other foreign fighters. With them on the run, they have to be concerned about logistics as well as fighting. They could only carry a limited amount of supplies and they will be looking for more as they flee north. That could give some clues about their destination.