*Sources: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - June 26, 2009: Pakistan's army chief on Thursday vowed to reassert government control in the lawless tribal belt, as the premier took a visiting US security advisor to task over deadly drone attacks in the region. 
Pakistani Army Chief, General Ashfaq Kayani meets with a soldier during his visit to South Waziristan. Pakistan's army chief on Thursday vowed to reassert government control in the lawless tribal belt, as the premier took a visiting US security advisor to task over deadly drone attacks in the region.
The army is wrapping up a two-month-long operation against Taliban rebels in northwest Swat valley, and preparing to launch a second front against militant chief Baitullah Mehsud and his network in tribal regions.
Washington alleges Al-Qaeda operatives who fled Afghanistan after the 2001 US-led invasion are holed up in South Waziristan, plotting attacks on Western targets, while the Taliban control swathes of the mountainous area.
A military statement said General Ashfaq Kayani spent the day in semi-autonomous South Waziristan on the Afghan border, where he met troops and commanders and held prayers for soldiers killed in fighting.
"(Kayani) stated that Pakistan army is executing a deliberate 'campaign plan' to achieve the desired end state of re-establishing the writ of the state while ensuring minimum loss to life and damage to property," it said.
"He appreciated the support of local tribes and urged them to use their full influence to rid the area of terrorists," it added.
South Waziristan is the stronghold of Mehsud, and Pakistani fighter jets have been pounding Taliban positions in the region for weeks, although it is unclear when a full offensive involving ground troops will begin.
On Tuesday, two US drone strikes in South Waziristan reportedly killed about 50 people as suspected Taliban militants gathered for a funeral, military and administration officials have said.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday told Washington's visiting top security adviser James Jones that the United States must halt the string of drone attacks on its soil.
Jones was in Islamabad as part of a short regional tour that has already taken in Afghanistan to assess the United States' new strategy in the region. 
A Pakistani security officer stands on the rubble of houses destroyed during a military operation against Taliban militants in Sultanwas village in Buner district on June 19, 2009. Pakistani security forces launched an offensive to dislodge Taliban guerrillas from three northwest districts around Swat valley in late April, after militants flouted a peace deal and thrust towards the capital Islamabad.
The Barack Obama administration has put Pakistan at the heart of a strategy to tackle Al-Qaeda and other extremists.
Gilani "called for stopping the drone attacks in order to ensure success of Pakistan's strategy for isolating the militants from the tribes," a statement issued from his office said.
Analysts, however, speculate that the Pakistani government may give complicit backing to the strikes by unmanned US drones, but loudly denounce the deeply-unpopular attacks in public.
Jones, who also met President Asif Ali Zardari and Kayani, in a statement made no mention of any rift over the use of drones.
"Together, the US and Pakistan are enhancing border cooperation, trade, energy and economic development to help Pakistanis face the challenges posed by extremists," Jones said in a statement from the US embassy in Islamabad.
"Terrorism is not simply the enemy of America -- it is a direct and urgent threat to the Pakistani people."
US officials have voiced strong support for a Pakistani military offensive to clear Taliban militants from swathes of the northwest.
In its daily update, the army said forces were carrying out mopping-up operations in Swat valley.
But UN officials urged authorities to ensure the conflict zone is secure before millions of displaced people return home.
About two million people have fled a punishing ground and air assault against Taliban fighters in and around Swat valley, which began in late April after insurgents advanced towards Islamabad.
"It's very important that IDPs (internally displaced persons) who come back have an appropriate set of conditions including security, safety, food, water, education, sanitation," said UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Mogwanja.
"We're concerned about security. We have to assess the situation not only on the main roads but also in villages," he told reporters.
Also Thursday, militants blew up a girls' school just outside South Waziristan's main town of Wana.
Local officials said no one died but the explosion completely destroyed the school building in the latest of hundreds of attacks on northwest schools by militants trying to impose a harsh brand of Islamic law.
Pakistani Army Chief, General Ashfaq Kayani meets with a soldier during his visit to South Waziristan. Pakistan's army chief on Thursday vowed to reassert government control in the lawless tribal belt, as the premier took a visiting US security advisor to task over deadly drone attacks in the region.
The army is wrapping up a two-month-long operation against Taliban rebels in northwest Swat valley, and preparing to launch a second front against militant chief Baitullah Mehsud and his network in tribal regions.
Washington alleges Al-Qaeda operatives who fled Afghanistan after the 2001 US-led invasion are holed up in South Waziristan, plotting attacks on Western targets, while the Taliban control swathes of the mountainous area.
A military statement said General Ashfaq Kayani spent the day in semi-autonomous South Waziristan on the Afghan border, where he met troops and commanders and held prayers for soldiers killed in fighting.
"(Kayani) stated that Pakistan army is executing a deliberate 'campaign plan' to achieve the desired end state of re-establishing the writ of the state while ensuring minimum loss to life and damage to property," it said.
"He appreciated the support of local tribes and urged them to use their full influence to rid the area of terrorists," it added.
South Waziristan is the stronghold of Mehsud, and Pakistani fighter jets have been pounding Taliban positions in the region for weeks, although it is unclear when a full offensive involving ground troops will begin.
On Tuesday, two US drone strikes in South Waziristan reportedly killed about 50 people as suspected Taliban militants gathered for a funeral, military and administration officials have said.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday told Washington's visiting top security adviser James Jones that the United States must halt the string of drone attacks on its soil.
Jones was in Islamabad as part of a short regional tour that has already taken in Afghanistan to assess the United States' new strategy in the region. A Pakistani security officer stands on the rubble of houses destroyed during a military operation against Taliban militants in Sultanwas village in Buner district on June 19, 2009. Pakistani security forces launched an offensive to dislodge Taliban guerrillas from three northwest districts around Swat valley in late April, after militants flouted a peace deal and thrust towards the capital Islamabad.
The Barack Obama administration has put Pakistan at the heart of a strategy to tackle Al-Qaeda and other extremists.
Gilani "called for stopping the drone attacks in order to ensure success of Pakistan's strategy for isolating the militants from the tribes," a statement issued from his office said.
Analysts, however, speculate that the Pakistani government may give complicit backing to the strikes by unmanned US drones, but loudly denounce the deeply-unpopular attacks in public.
Jones, who also met President Asif Ali Zardari and Kayani, in a statement made no mention of any rift over the use of drones.
"Together, the US and Pakistan are enhancing border cooperation, trade, energy and economic development to help Pakistanis face the challenges posed by extremists," Jones said in a statement from the US embassy in Islamabad.
"Terrorism is not simply the enemy of America -- it is a direct and urgent threat to the Pakistani people."
US officials have voiced strong support for a Pakistani military offensive to clear Taliban militants from swathes of the northwest.
In its daily update, the army said forces were carrying out mopping-up operations in Swat valley.
But UN officials urged authorities to ensure the conflict zone is secure before millions of displaced people return home.
About two million people have fled a punishing ground and air assault against Taliban fighters in and around Swat valley, which began in late April after insurgents advanced towards Islamabad.
"It's very important that IDPs (internally displaced persons) who come back have an appropriate set of conditions including security, safety, food, water, education, sanitation," said UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Mogwanja.
"We're concerned about security. We have to assess the situation not only on the main roads but also in villages," he told reporters.
Also Thursday, militants blew up a girls' school just outside South Waziristan's main town of Wana.
Local officials said no one died but the explosion completely destroyed the school building in the latest of hundreds of attacks on northwest schools by militants trying to impose a harsh brand of Islamic law.
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