First Battle of Swat

First Battle of Swat
(Operation Rah-e-Haq)
Part of Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Date25 October – 8 December 2007
(1 month, 1 week and 6 days)
Location
Swat Valley and Shangla, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan
Result

Pakistani victory[1][2][3][4]

Belligerents

 Pakistan

TTP

Commanders and leaders
Naser Janjua[5]
Zahir Ali Khan		 Maulana Fazlullah
Units involved
10th Infantry Division
12th Regular Army Regiment
No. 20 Squadron Eagles
Special Combat Unit
FCKP(N)		 Unknown
Strength
3,000–5,000 1,000
Casualties and losses
15 soldiers killed,[6]
3 policemen killed
 250 killed[6]
143 captured[5]

The First Battle of Swat, also known as Operation Rah-e-Haq, was fought between Pakistan and the Tehrik-i-Taliban in late 2007 over control of the Swat District of Pakistan.

The battle began on 25 October 2007 and involved the Pakistani Army and TTP-led forces in a fight for control of the Swat district of Pakistan. From 25 October 2007, to 7 November 2007, the militants quickly seized control of the region. On 15 November 2007, a Pakistani offensive commenced.

  1. ^ Abbas, Hassan. “Pakistan’s Counterterrorism Strategy and Its Implications for Domestic, Regional and International Security.” International Affairs, vol. 97, no. 3, 2021, pp. 709-726.
  2. ^ Blank, Jonah. "Pakistan Captures Taliban Headquarters Town." Reuters, 24 May 2009, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-swat-idUSTRE54N0YR20090524.
  3. ^ Fair, C. Christine. Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army's Way of War. Oxford University Press, 2014.
  4. ^ Abbas, H. (2021). Pakistan’s counterterrorism strategy and its implications for domestic, regional and international security. International Affairs, 97(3), 709-726. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiab035
  5. ^ a b "Pakistan hunting Swat militants". BBC News. 8 December 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Pakistan army retakes Swat towns". BBC. 6 December 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2010.