Battle of Mirali

Battle of Mirali
Part of the War in North-West Pakistan
Date7–10 October 2007
(3 days)
LocationMirali town, North Waziristan Agency, Federally Administrated Tribal Areas, Pakistan
32°35′N 70°09′E / 32.59°N 70.15°E / 32.59; 70.15
Result Ceasefire and military stalemate
Belligerents

Pakistan State of Pakistan

 Pakistan Army
 Pakistan Air Force		 Tehrik-e-Taliban
Units involved
9th Infantry Division
5th Army Aviation Wing
No. 16 Squadron Panthers
Strength
Unknown
Casualties and losses
47 killed[1]
13 missing[2]
20 wounded[2]		 175 killed
100 wounded[2]
35 civilians killed[2]
Mirali
Location within Pakistan

The Battle of Mirali was a bloody military engagement occurred between 7 October and 10 October 2007 and involved Taliban militants and Pakistani soldiers around the town of Mirali, Pakistan (North Waziristan), the second biggest town in the semi-autonomous region on the border with Afghanistan.

Timeline of the battle

According to the Pakistani Armed Forces, the clashes broke out on 7 October after militants set off improvised explosive devices and conducted ambushes on a Pakistani convoy, near the town of Mirali. The subsequent engagements killed nearly 200 people. The army says the casualties were militants and soldiers but local people reported at least ten civilians were among the dead. Hundreds of people fled Mirali after more than 50 houses were damaged in the fighting.[3][4]

After a number of attacks on military convoys, near Mirali, the Pakistan Army sent helicopter gunships and Pakistan Air Force jet fighters to target suspected militant positions in several villages around that region.

The military reported that 50 soldiers went missing in the area during the clashes, but that contact had been established with 37 soldiers. The other 13 remained missing.[2]

On 9 October, according to the Pakistani Army, military aircraft struck "one or two places" near Mirali. There were unconfirmed reports that about 50 militants had been killed. But later reports from witnesses stated that 50 people were killed, and it was a mix of civilians and militants killed when a bazaar was hit.[5]

On 10 October, thousands of tribesmen gathered in the village of Epi to bury 50 people killed when about one dozen explosions destroyed shops and homes, residents said.[5]

Truce

On 15 October, Pakistani soldiers and tribal fighters in the northwestern province of North Waziristan agreed to a truce, and the Pakistani forces lifted the curfew over the area.[6] This truce was over by the end of the month.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Burials follow Waziristan clashes". BBC News. 10 October 2007. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Battles rage on Pakistan border". BBC. 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  3. ↑ Al Jazeera English - News - Scores Killed In Pakistan Battles Archived 2007-10-09 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ Al Jazeera English - News - Scores Killed In Waziristan Clashes Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. 1 2 Al Jazeera English - News - Civilians Killed In Pakistan Battle Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ Aamir Latif (2007-10-16). "Curfew lifted in northwest Pakistan". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2008.
  7. ↑ "Pakistani truce collapses". News.com.au. 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
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