Swat

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US Secretly Speeds Pakistan Military Aid

Washington funnels helicopters, arms, technology for Taliban fight

(Newser) - The Pakistani government keeps insisting that the US has little to no role in its offensive in Taliban-controlled border regions—but out of sight, Washington has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars worth of arms and equipment to the country's forces this year. President Obama himself intervened at one point...

Pakistanis Finally Turning Against the Taliban

Swat Valley battles push citizens away from Islamic extremism

(Newser) - Only a year ago the Taliban had growing support in Pakistan, and many citizens regarded them as fellow Muslims opposed to the American government and military. But as the New York Times reports, public sentiment has shifted in recent months. Following violence in the Swat Valley and months of televised...

Pakistani Town Beats Back Taliban

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 ...

Al-Qaeda Sets Sights on Pakistan

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda has set its sights on the increasingly unstable Pakistan, American and Pakistani intelligence officials tell the New York Times. “They smell blood, and they are intoxicated by the idea of a jihadist takeover in Pakistan,” said a former CIA analyst. The group no longer operates in Afghanistan,...

Pakistanis Flee Swat Ahead of Taliban Clash

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...

Taliban Target Pakistanis With Relatives in US

Extremists kidnap family of immigrants, demand ransom

(Newser) - The Taliban have developed a new tactic as they grow stronger in Pakistan: kidnapping and intimidating Pakistanis with relatives in the US. Immigrants are targeted through their families for money or as punishment for perceived political dissent, reports the New York Times. This creates a vexing paradox for Pakistanis in...

Pakistani Taliban Vow to Blow Up Girls' Schools

Extremists also ban polio vaccines; order women to cover up

(Newser) - Taliban militants in Pakistan's Swat region have threatened to blow up schools and kill schoolgirls if female education isn't halted by next month, reports the Times of London. The extremists have already destroyed 125 schools for girls in the region this year. Women have been warned not to set foot...

Pakistan Truce Cedes Region to Militants

Government reins loosen in return for fewer attacks; West worried

(Newser) - Pakistan struck a peace deal today with Islamic militants in northwestern Pakistan, the AP reports. Under the pact, the military will slowly pull out of Swat, a region along the Afghanistan border, and allow radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah to install limited Islamic law there. In exchange, the militants will recognize...

Gang Gun Battle Shuts Down LA Neighborhood

Streets, schools closed after police shootout with drive-by killers

(Newser) - Dozens of streets in Los Angeles were shut down yesterday following a police gun battle with gang members, the Los Angeles Times reports. Schools were locked down and residents ordered to stay in their homes as police searched for suspects in a drive-by shooting that left a man dead from...

Pakistani Cleric Calls Ceasefire
Pakistani Cleric Calls Ceasefire
Oct 29, 2007 12:07 PM CDT

Pakistani Cleric Calls Ceasefire

Dozens killed in clashes with government troops, helicopters

(Newser) - Supporters of an extremist cleric who had declared a jihad against Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire today after fierce fighting this weekend claimed between 50 and 60 of their number, Al Jazeera reports. Pakistan had sent 2,500 paramilitary troops to Swat to head off Maulana Fazlullah, who wants to...

Militants Battle Pakistani Troops
Militants Battle Pakistani Troops
Oct 28, 2007 9:26 AM CDT

Militants Battle Pakistani Troops

Radical cleric spark deadly fight over Islamist rule

(Newser) - In the latest violent outbreak in Pakistan, supporters of an extremist cleric yesterday captured a police post in the north and beheaded 13 people following a battle with soldiers, reports the AP. Troops on Friday had raided Maulana Fazlullah's stronghold in the formerly peaceful Swat district, where the radical cleric...

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