Operation Zalzala

Operation Zalzala
Part of the Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Date24 January – 20 May 2008
(3 months, 3 weeks and 5 days)
Location
Spinkai, South Waziristan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan
33°33′N 70°25′E / 33.55°N 70.41°E / 33.55; 70.41
Result Pakistani victory[1][2][3][4][5]
Belligerents
Pakistan Pakistan Afghanistan Tehrik-i-Taliban
Commanders and leaders
M.Gen. Tariq Khan
B.Gen. Ali Abbas		 Afghanistan Baitullah Mehsud †
Afghanistan Qari Hussain
Units involved

 Pakistan Army

  • 14th Infantry Division
  • 9th Army Aviation Squadron
  • 20th Mountaineering Brigade
 Afghanistan Pakistani Taliban
Strength
10–15,000 (estimated) Unknown
Casualties and losses
6 soldiers dead 25–55 TTP fighters killed
150,000–200,000 people were displaced
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Location within Pakistan

The Operation Zalzala (English: Operation Earthquake), was a Pakistan Army military offensive manhunt and a counter-insurgent operation that was commenced on 18 January 2008. The operation concluded with mixed results as the army had successfully captured the area, but had failed to capture or kill Qari Hussain, the main objective of the operation.[6]

  1. ^ Abbas, Hassan. “Reforming Pakistan's Police and Law Enforcement Infrastructure.” United States Institute of Peace, 2011, pp. 11. This report briefly discusses Operation Zalzala as a successful operation against foreign fighters by Pakistan in 2005.
  2. ^ Bajoria, Jayshree, and Eben Kaplan. “The ISI and Terrorism: Behind the Accusations.” Council on Foreign Relations, 28 May 2009, https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/isi-and-terrorism-behind-accusations. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023. This backgrounder mentions Operation Zalzala as an example of Pakistan's gains against extremists in 2005.
  3. ^ Khan, Feroz Hassan. "Understanding Pakistan’s military-jihadi complex." Asian Affairs: An American Review, vol. 34, no. 3, 2007, pp. 151-162. doi:10.3200/AAFS.34.3.151-162. This journal article provides an overview of Pakistan's operations against jihadi groups including the 2005 Operation Zalzala.
  4. ^ Tellis, Ashley J. “U.S. Strategy: Assisting Pakistan’s Transformation.” The Washington Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 1, 2004, pp. 106. doi:10.1162/016366004773069454. This journal article briefly mentions Operation Zalzala as targeting al-Qaeda fighters in 2005.
  5. ^ Yusuf, Moeed. “Conflict Dynamics in Pakistan.” United States Institute of Peace, 2 Oct. 2012, p. 3. This report references Operation Zalzala in 2005 as an operation where Pakistan achieved gains against foreign fighters.
  6. ^ "Taliban chief ideologist survives 'Zalzala'". Daily Times. 26 May 2008. Archived from the original on 27 May 2008.