Pakistanis Finally Turning Against the Taliban

Militants take control of main city in strategic valley

(NEWSER) - Pakistani authorities have warned residents of the country's troubled Swat Valley to leave their homes ahead of an expected military operation in the Taliban-controlled area. The February peace deal between Pakistan and the Taliban, which included the introduction of Sharia law, has effectively collapsed, reports Reuters. Militants have infiltrated several districts of Mingora, Swat's largest town, and have attacked government and army installations. More»

Locals raid militant invaders as army gains in Swat

(NEWSER) - Armed residents of a town in the troubled Swat Valley fought off Taliban forces yesterday, the latest sign that locals are helping the Pakistan army beat back militants, reports the Wall Street Journal. Several Taliban fighters were captured when hundreds of residents stormed out of the mountain town of Kalam, which has already been attacked several times. "We will not allow Taliban to come here," said the town's deputy mayor. More»

(NEWSER) - Public opinion is swinging against Sharia law in Pakistan's Swat Valley as tens of thousands flee fighting between Pakistani forces and the Taliban, the Washington Post reports. A public fed up with inefficient and corrupt secular courts once welcomed the Taliban's version of religious law, but lawmakers and pundits now say the Taliban's harsh punishments are part of a power grab that disrespects the Koran. More»

Move comes amid peace deal in some areas

(NEWSER) - A Taliban commander withdrew his troops today from a Pakistani district where their activity was fueling US concern, Reuters reports. “Our leader has ordered that Taliban should immediately be called back from Buner,” a spokesman said of the area, which lies just 60 miles from the capital, Islamabad. More»

Taliban move closer to capital after peace deal allows Islamic law in northwest

(NEWSER) - Pakistan's deal to allow the Taliban to impose Sharia law in the Swat valley in return for peace has inspired the extremists to seek further gains, the Washington Post reports. Taliban fighters are spreading deeper into the region—a mere 100 miles east of the capital—and leaders say they want to extend a "complete Islamic system" across the entire nation. More»