Taliban Expanding Grip On Pakistan

The Taliban have continued moving through Northwest Pakistan, but they're not content with simply holding on to the territory they've gained with the capitulation of the Zardari government, which basically ceded control to the Taliban to appease them. The Taliban have moved on from Buner and are now in the district of Mansehra and established a base and a training camp.

More than 100 heavily armed Taliban fighters have established a base of operations in the Kala Dhaka region of Mansehra and set up training camp in Loniyian, Dawn reported. Only 100 poorly armed and trained Levies personnel are said to be on hand to halt a Taliban incursion.

Loniyian "once used to be a training camp of militants that was closed after the government launched a crackdown on such camps," security officials told Dawn. "The official sources claimed that the camp had again been made functional where new recruits were being trained." Last summer, US military and intelligence officials told The Long War Journal that 157 terror training camps were in operation in Pakistan’s northwest.

The Mansehra Taliban are said to be led by Moman Khan, who claimed to have been commander of the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi but said he no longer works with the group. Khan is said to have been behind recent threats and attacks against non-governmental organizations in neighboring Abbottabad. The Lashkar-i-Jhangvi is an anti-Shia terror group that has been co-opted by al Qaeda and has conducted numerous attacks inside Pakistan.

The tribes have expressed displeasure with the Taliban encroachment and have ordered the Taliban to leave. Khan claimed he has not conducted any acts of violence.

The Taliban expansion eastward from the tribal areas has put Pakistani and Western leaders into a panic. The move into Buner has put the Taliban within 60 miles of Peshawar and close to several nuclear facilities and the vital Tarbela Dam. Last week, the local Islamabad government ordered troops to deploy in the Margala hills just north of the city to block a Taliban advance while the Haripur government beefed up security at the Tarbela Dam. Last week, an Islamist government official claimed the Taliban was advancing into Haripur and Mansehra.

That's despite the fact that the Pakistani air force has carried out airstrikes against the Taliban positions.

Jets and helicopter gunships launched airstrikes to cover the ground troops' advance through Buner's mountainous terrain and to keep Taleban fighters in the neighbouring Swat Valley from bringing in reinforcements.

Residents said that tanks, heavy artillery and hundreds of troops were moving into the town 60 miles (95km) from Islamabad. The troops bombarded Taleban positions in mountains in the Babaji Kandao area of Buner. Officials said that the attack could force thousands of people to flee the area.

Government forces launched the assault after militants advancing from the Swat Valley rejected the Government's ultimatum to leave the town they occupied last week.

The military's regular army troops are finally realizing that they have to take action. Until now, they've been content to send paramilitary forces - glorified police - to the meat grinder to stop the Taliban. That's had little effect on controlling Taliban control of the frontier provinces, or even Pakistani territory such as Swat.

Pakistan claims that they've retaken a key town within Buner, but the government continues with its delicate dance. They claim that they've moved 6,000 troops from the tenuous border with India to deal with the ominous threat from within Pakistan. The Pakistani military also claims that they've killed 60 Taliban in fighting in Buner.