After weeks in which Pakistanis watched Taliban fighters parading just a few hours drive from the capital, Islamabad, the government and military decided to strike back today, sending paramilitary soldiers, tanks and Cobra helicopters into Northwest Pakistan.
Pakistani Taliban members travel in a van as they leave Buner, northwestern Pakistan on Friday,...
Pakistani Taliban members travel in a van as they leave Buner, northwestern Pakistan on Friday, April 24, 2009. Taliban militants who had seized a district just 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Pakistan's capital began pulling out Friday after the government warned it would use force to evict them. The withdrawal from Buner, if completed, eliminates the most immediate threat to a peace agreement in the neighboring militant-held Swat Valley that the U.S. government worries has created a haven for allies of al-Qaida. (Naveed Ali/AP Photo)
The Frontier Corps began fighting the Taliban this morning in Lower Dir, part of the Northwest Frontier district where the government imposed Islamic Law two weeks ago in the hope the Taliban would holster their weapons.
A provincial government official said the Pakistani troops would continue on into Buner, a district just 70 miles from Islamabad where the Taliban recently created a local militant force to enforce their brand of justice.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that the provincial government wanted to launch the operation months ago but waited so it could engage militants in areas better suited for air power and for paramilitary forces.
Pakistani Taliban members travel in a van as they leave Buner, northwestern Pakistan on Friday,...
Pakistani Taliban members travel in a van as they leave Buner, northwestern Pakistan on Friday, April 24, 2009. Taliban militants who had seized a district just 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Pakistan's capital began pulling out Friday after the government warned it would use force to evict them. The withdrawal from Buner, if completed, eliminates the most immediate threat to a peace agreement in the neighboring militant-held Swat Valley that the U.S. government worries has created a haven for allies of al-Qaida. (Naveed Ali/AP Photo)
The Frontier Corps began fighting the Taliban this morning in Lower Dir, part of the Northwest Frontier district where the government imposed Islamic Law two weeks ago in the hope the Taliban would holster their weapons.
A provincial government official said the Pakistani troops would continue on into Buner, a district just 70 miles from Islamabad where the Taliban recently created a local militant force to enforce their brand of justice.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that the provincial government wanted to launch the operation months ago but waited so it could engage militants in areas better suited for air power and for paramilitary forces.
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