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For the past six weeks Pakistani troops supported by helicopter gunships, tanks and heavy artillery have begun to drive Taliban militants out of the tribal area of Bajaur. The action was visible as Cobra helicopters pounded positions outside the village of Tang Khatta, a short distance from Khar, Bajaur's main town, and ground troops fought an hour-long gun battle. Militants have regularly attacked the village compounds with rockets since they were pushed out two weeks ago. The sound of explosions and machine guns were audible from behind Tang Khatta's thick mud walls as soldiers traded fire with the Taliban across...

Pakistan army says 1,000 militants killed in Bajaur fight Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:10am EDT By Simon Cameron-Moore TANG KHATTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani forces have killed up to 1,000 Islamist militants in fighting in the strategically important northwestern region of Bajaur this month, an army commander said on Friday. Government forces launched an offensive in Bajaur in August and have been involved in heavy fighting since then. Bajaur is one of Pakistan's seven so-called tribal agencies, semi-autonomous ethnic Pashtun regions along the Afghan border. It is an important hub for militants, providing access to surrounding Pakistani regions as well...

via translation - The Pakistani army claims to have killed 1000 Islamist fighters, including 5 counts Khare (Pakistan) - The Pakistani army said Friday have killed more than 1,000 Islamist fighters, including five of their leaders, since launching a major offensive in the tribal areas of northwestern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan . In addition, twenty-seven soldiers of the Pakistani army were also killed in operations in the tribal district of Bajaur, said Tariq Khan, an official of the army. "The total balance exceeds thousand deaths among militants" Islamists, "said Khan to reporters transported by helicopter on the ground in Bajaur.

PESHAWAR - As many as eight alleged militants were killed and three others injured when their own explosive went off inside a vehicle at Salarzai area of Bajaur Agency on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. The vehicle with alleged militants on board was on way to Jandol area of adjacent district, situated close to Pak-Afghan border. As per details, the alleged militants were on their way to Jandol of Dir region from Salarzai region of Bajaur Agency. The explosive inside the vehicle went off during the journey, resulting in the loss of six lives on the spot and injuries...

KARACHI: Defense Minister, Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar has said that holding talks with Taliban was in the interest of the country; talks with the Taliban leaders were held earlier and were being held now also. Talking to newsmen at the PIA head office here, Defense Minister, Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, who is PIA chairman also, said that if an agreement with Taliban gets materialized, then it would benefit the whole world and across the border actions could be controlled. As regards missile attack on Bajaur, defense minister said that the government was collecting facts and added that such attacks within Pakistan...

Excerpts - ~ snip ~ Bhutto told this reporter two weeks before she flew home on Oct. 18 about her plans to flush the Taliban and al-Qaida out of FATA. She wanted to open up FATA to the country's principal political parties to compete with a coalition of six politico-religious parties, known as Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, now the only ones allowed to campaign there. The objective was to wean Pashtun tribesmen from MMA, Taliban and al-Qaida control. This was to be done in conjunction with some $750 million in U.S. aid already authorized to bring basic improvements to mountain villages that...

Pakistan signs its third “peace deal” with the Taliban in the tribal agencies The much anticipated Bajaur Accord – a peace agreement purportedly with the local tribal leaders of the Mamoond tribe and the government - has been signed in Pakistan's lawless tribal agency. The details of the agreement are not yet available, however the Daily Times has described it as “a step towards a North Waziristan-like peace accord. Bajaur Agency.” Pakistan conveniently finished negotiations as international attention is on the crisis over the removal of Pakistan's chief justice

PESHAWAR, Aug 18: A son-in-law of Al Qaeda No 2 Dr Ayman Al-Zawahiri is believed to be the mastermind of the plot to blow up transatlantic flights and he met one or some of the plotters at a place close to the Pakistan-Afghan border, credible sources told Dawn. “The mastermind in the planes bombing plot is Zawahiri’s son-in-law,” said the sources who did not want to be named. “He is the guy being looked for,” they added. Osama bin Laden’s top lieutenant is known to have several sons-in-law. One of them was reported to have been killed in a...

Karachi, 10 March (AKI) - US surveillance aircraft have begun flights across the tribal belt of North Waziristan which lies on the Afghan-Pakistan border. Tribal sources told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the flights have been taking place over the last two days, coming soon after the meetings in Islamabad this week between the top US military comander, General John Abizaid, and Pakistani authorities. The aim of the meetings was to sort out a mechanism to combat cross-border infiltration by militants and at the same time ensure that neither Pakistan nor the allied troops will then face complaints of breaching borders....