Forget Pakistan's Claims: Taliban Is Only Hiding Out

Maulana Fazlullah either surrounded or arrested as Pakistani offensive continues

(NEWSER) - A Taliban-controlled pirate radio station announced the militant group's surrender in the Swat Valley, after yet another key leader was said to have been arrested by the Pakistani military, the Telegraph reports. Though some reports claim that Maulana Fazlullah is surrounded by Pakistani forces, sources tell the Telegraph that he has already been arrested—but that an official announcement will not be made until early next week. More»

Refugee crisis mounts as fighting ramps up

(NEWSER) - Pakistani soldiers descended on a Taliban stronghold in Swat Valley today to “search and destroy,” a military spokesman tells Reuters. Ground troops were also moving toward the remote northwest region as the military ramps up its offensive against insurgents there. Officials say 751 of the vastly outnumbered militants and 29 soldiers have died; meanwhile, as many as 800,000 civilians have fled. More»

Military bombards densely populated areas; UN warns of crisis

(NEWSER) - Refugees continue to flee the Swat Valley in Pakistan, reports the Guardian, where government forces battling resurgent Taliban militants have been conducting airstrikes in heavily populated areas. The government is preparing for up to 500,000 refugees in what the UN warns is becoming a humanitarian crisis. The Washington Post reports from a camp outside Islamabad, where refugees told of violence under the Taliban and erratic behavior by the government and military. More»

(NEWSER) - Pakistan's government abandoned its rapidly decaying truce with the Taliban today, al-Jazeera reports, with government forces openly battling militants in several parts of the Swat Valley following a Taliban attack on an army convoy yesterday. Tens of thousands of residents have already fled the area, and the government said it expects 500,000 more today, the AP adds. More»

Militant presence in Buner violates peace agreement, says military

(NEWSER) - Pakistan has deployed troops and begun airstrikes against suspected Taliban sites in the Buner district, uncomfortably close to the capital. A military spokesman said some 500 militants are in the district, just over 60 miles from Islamabad, violating a peace agreement, the BBC reports. Meanwhile, tens of thousands have fled the nearby region of Lower Dir; the military says it's finished a two-day operation against militants there, the New York Times reports. Both areas border the Taliban-dominated Swat Valley. More»