Taliban dig in for a bloody urban battle in Mingora with Pakistani Forces, page 1

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Topic started on 15-5-2009 @ 12:49 AM by runetang

The Taliban have regrouped and have been fortifying the Northwest Frontier town of Mingora, and up to 5,000 fighters are estimated to be in the immediate area, poised for a showdown. Intelligence has shown that the Taliban forces have been digging trenches, fortifying positions, setting up roadblocks, and taking up rooftop positions in the town of Mingora, Pakistan, which is near Swat Valley, and in the middle of the recent Pakistani all-out offensive on the Taliban. World Intelligence Officials are skeptical that Pakistan has the capability for such a fight with the Taliban due to the nature of the fortified positions in the town and the thousands of fighters present.

CNN World News Reports:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Taliban are digging in for a "bloody urban battle" against the Pakistani army in a hotly disputed city in the western part of the country, a strategic expert warned Thursday.
A Pakistani army spokesman says the military offensive has caused many to leave their homes for camps.

"The Taliban are concentrating forces in Mingora -- digging trenches, laying mines, taking positions on rooftops," said Reva Bhalla, the director of strategic analysis at Stratfor, a private firm that describes itself as a global intelligence company.

"It is not clear if the Pakistani military is trained and even equipped to go into a situation like that," she said, adding that even the United States military "would have to think twice" about such an offensive.

She estimates there are 5,000 Taliban fighters in the area.

"The question is: Are they going to try to stand and fight, or try to regroup?" she asked.

Personally,

I think that Pakistan would be wise in this situation to allow U.S. aerial bombardment of the positions in and around Mingora imminently before a ground offensive by Pakistani Special Forces, backed up by Pakistani Army. Normally Pakistan is adamant against the U.S. carrying out aerial attacks on targets in the Frontier Provinces of Pakistan due to the number of civillian casualties reported. In this case however, they would be wise to allow it, and then claim it was Pakistani Air Force who conducted the raids to the media. They could even go so far as to paint the U.S. jets involved with Pakistani markings in the unlikely event of a downed craft.

How do you think Pakistan should handle the situation? Do you think they will allow U.S. air support? My position is clear..