Fighting Continues Along Pakistani-Afghan Border

The AP story notes that fighting between various factions has left more than 50 dead, but it doesn't exactly help with providing a scoresheet. There are foreign and local factions involved, but the fighting actually involves various tribal and ethnic groups that include alleigances to al Qaeda or the Taliban.

Some analysts, however, say militants with links to Taliban and al-Qaida are involved on both sides of the current conflict, which also pits local tribes against each other, and that blood feuds could deepen insecurity in a region viewed as a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri.

Hundreds of Central Asian and Arab militants linked to al-Qaida fled to the semiautonomous region after the collapse of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and forged alliances with local tribes. Other Uzbeks opposed to the regime of President Islam Karimov have reportedly since joined them.

As part of its support of the U.S.-led war on terror, Pakistan launched military operations in 2004 to wipe out the foreign militants. They succeeded in busting camps used by al-Qaida, but suffered hundreds of casualties and failed to expel the foreign fighters.

That Pakistan continues to allow these groups to operate in the region by cutting deals undermines the security for both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Bill Roggio has a far more in depth analysis of the situation.