Operation al-Mizan

The Operation al-Mizan (English: Operation Justice /ɒpərəɪʃən dʒʌstɪs/) was a series of strategic military campaigns conducted by the Pakistan army and 10,000 United States special operations forces from 2002 to 2006. It continued for five years in various phases eventually, several other operations including the Operation Carlosa II. Al-Mizan was the first major operation of Pakistani troops to combat foreign militant outfits in North Waziristan of North-West Frontier Province. An estimate of 70,000 to 80,000 troops were deployed in affected areas.^[8][9]

Operation al-Mizan
Part of United States invasion of Afghanistan
North Waziristan is the yellow colored region
Date 2002 – 2006 Location North Waziristan Result Pakistan – US victory^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]
Belligerents
Pakistan  United States	Al-Qaeda Taliban
Units involved
Pakistan Army 20th Infantry battalion 6th Combat engineer battalion 2nd Signal corps Special Service Group FCKP(S) US special forces	Al-Qaeda Taliban
Strength
70,000 – 80,000 (Pakistan army)	10,000
Casualties and losses
1,000 dead, 1,400 wounded and 200 Chechens, Uzbeks, and Arabs wounded, dead or missing

The operation al-Mizan was responsible for the first casualties listed in 2002 by the Western Front. It was conducted when Pakistan, US and NATO forces were severely targeted by the militants on the international border Durand Line. The most militancy-affected areas were Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) before the operation was initiated.^[10]

Objectives and background

The Operation al-Mizan was conducted by the United States and Pakistan to combat Al-Qaeda, Taliban and other foreign terrorist organizations who were carrying out their activities in Waziristan after the United States invasion of Afghanistan made them fled from Afghanistan.^[11] The operation was aided by 100,000 to 80,000 troops, 20 Infantry battalion, six combat engineer battalion, one Special Service Group, two Signal corps, and 39 Frontier Corps. All units were commanded under the eight brigade headquarters stationed at two divisions.^[12][13] It did not achieve predetermined level of success due to lack of significant information about the presence of the militants and their nature of escaping from the ambush. In 2006 or earlier, it was aborted after a peace deal with Baitullah Mehsud was signed in 2004 at Sararogha subdivision.^[14]

Casualties

The operation caused significant losses from the both sides with over 1,400 casualties and killed hundreds of militants, including Al Qaeda leaders. Taliban militants targeted military convoys that caused heavy losses on military. They also launched several well-planned attacks to involve the troops in direct combat.^[15][8] The operation was not limited to Al-Qaeda and Taliban, more than 200 Chechens, Uzbeks, and Arabs, including their local supporter, were targeted during the military campaign.^[14] It is considered one of the major operations that killed 1,000 Pakistani troops before the conflict was ended in 2006.^[16]

References

1. "Military Operations in FATA and PATA - Institute of Strategic Studies" (PDF).
2. Abbas, H. (2007). Probing the Jihadi Mindset. Terrorism and Political Violence, 19(4), 595-613. doi:10.1080/09546550701606564 - Discusses Pakistan's Operation Al-Mizan in South Waziristan in 2002-2003 which targeted al-Qaeda militants.
3. Abbas, H. (2014). The Taliban insurgency in Pakistan: Operation Rah-e-Rast. Small Wars & Insurgencies, 25(3), 512-537. - Discusses how Operation Al-Mizan targeted key Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan sanctuaries.
4. Javaid, U. (2011). War on Terror Partnership: Pak-US Relations since 2001. Journal of Political Studies, 18(1), 195-208. - Describes Operation Al-Mizan as a "carefully planned offensive" that disrupted the Taliban.
5. Gulf News (2009, August 12). Pakistan kills 120 Taliban in South Waziristan. Retrieved from https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/pakistan-kills-120-taliban-in-south-waziristan-1.50560 - Contemporary news report highlighting Pakistan's gains against the Taliban in Operation Al-Mizan.
6. Bajoria, J. & Kaplan, E. (2010). The ISI and Terrorism: Behind the Accusations. Council on Foreign Relations. - Notes that Operation Al-Mizan succeeded in disrupting Taliban operations and supply line
7. Khan, I. (2011). Backgrounder: Pakistan's Waziristan Offensive. Center for International Security and Cooperation, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. - Discusses the gains made by Pakistan during Operation Al-Mizan.
8. Hali, S. M. (September 6, 2017). "Defence Day of Pakistan—fresh blood infused". nation.com.pk.
9. Boon, Kristen E.; Huq, Aziz; Lovelace, Douglas Jr. (March 10, 2009). Global Issues. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195398076 – via Google Books.
10. Pubby, Manu (November 28, 2017). "Pakistan's own terror brew killing its young army officers, not India".
11. Dodaro, Gene L. (March 10, 2010). Securing, Stabilizing, and Developing Pakistan's Border Area with Afghanistan: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight. DIANE Publishing. ISBN 9781437914092 – via Google Books.
12. Gates, Scott; Roy, Kaushik (February 17, 2016). Unconventional Warfare in South Asia: Shadow Warriors and Counterinsurgency. Routledge. ISBN 9781317005414 – via Google Books.
13. Sharma, Suman (June 2, 2010). "Pakistan removes third of army's border deployment". DNA India.
14. Elahi, N. (March 7, 2019). Terrorism in Pakistan: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Challenge to Security. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781838609245 – via Google Books.
15. Office, U. s Government Accountability (January 1, 2010). Securing, Stabilizing and Developing Pakistan's Border Area with Afghanistan. Cosimo, Inc. ISBN 9781616402297 – via Google Books.
16. "Multiple conflicts bleed Pak army | India News - Times of India". The Times of India.