Pakistan’s Army Sends Thousands of Taliban Militants Fleeing

A recent operation in Mardan, Pakistan that saw Pakistani commandos dropping from helicopters behind enemy Taliban lines has sent many of the militants feeling. The so-called "search and destroy" missions in the Swat Valley were intended to attack a rear base of Taliban militants that may have been inhabited by as many as 4,000 Taliban fighters. Many of those militants were scattered after the missions, which came on the heels of a U.S. missile attack further south in Pakistan that destroyed a house and killed 8 near a separate militant stronghold near the Afghan border.

Said Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik, "The way they are being beaten, the way their recruiters are fleeing, and the way the Pakistan army is using its strategy, God willing the operation will be completed very soon." The assaults, which were begun last week, occurred after Taliban forces starting moving out from the Swat Valley to extend control to a mere 60 miles from the Pakistan capital of Islamabad. The incursions by Pakistan army troops has drawn praise from U.S. officials, who remain steadfast in their belief that Islamabad must not be allowed to offer any safe havens to militants.

The raids haven’t been all positive, though, as many refugees have resulted from the continuous fighting in the region. The U.N. has registered over 360,000 refugees from the recent fighting alone. Syed Allahuddin, a member of the ruling party in Pakistan, noted, "The situation is very bad. The people are stranded over there. They do not have foodstuffs and other facilities."