Analysis: True Swat victory won't be military

AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/31/09 | Nahal Toosi - ap

[NormsRevenge]

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan says it is close to beating the Taliban in the Swat Valley, but battlefield success alone does not equal victory: Militant commanders are still on the run, local governments and police forces have been decimated and millions of residents are displaced from their homes.

Even if Pakistan succeeds in eliminating insurgents in one of its most intense operations yet, the northwestern valley is just one of several militant strongholds in the U.S.-allied country — and not even the most important.

Already, fighting is flaring in the semiautonomous tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, where al-Qaida and the Taliban are more entrenched than they were in Swat.

The U.S. sees Swat as a test of nuclear-armed Pakistan's ability and willingness to tackle insurgents in the northwest blamed for attacks on American and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

[NormsRevenge]

Map of Pakistan's northwestern districts including Swat valley. Pakistan's defence secretary said Sunday that a month-long offensive to crush Taliban fighters in the northwest could end within days, as fierce fighting spilled into a nearby tribal area. (AFP/Graphic)

[G8 Diplomat]

Pakistan ۋﮧ۱م

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[SunkenCiv]

No, it won’t be military, it’ll be dragging the carcasses of the dead Taliban through the street, then throwing them into a pile, pouring gasoline over them, and lighting the pile on fire.