Pakistan pounds Taliban; fighters pour into Swat

[babylonsister]

Pakistan Attacks Taliban Militants Ahead Of Washington Talks

May 6, 2009 09:41 AM EST | AP


MINGORA, Pakistan — Helicopter gunships and mortar teams pounded militant strongholds, killing dozens outside emerald mines and in a district near the capital, the military said, as Taliban reinforcements poured down from their mountain hideouts.

As the army began taking the fight to militants entrenched about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the capital, Pakistan's leader prepared to hear demands from President Barack Obama for forceful action from a struggling ally.

The army actions in the Swat Valley and Buner will please Washington, which is urging Pakistan to crack down on militants blamed for rising violence at home and in Afghanistan.

Since fighting broke out Tuesday, thousands of men, women and children have fled the region's main town of Mingora and surrounding districts, fearing an imminent major military operation. The government said it believes refugees could reach 500,000.

"It is an all-out war there. Rockets are landing everywhere," said Laiq Zada, a 33-year old who fled the valley late Tuesday and was now in a government-run tent camp out of the danger zone. "We have with us the clothes on our bodies and a hope in the house of God. Nothing else."

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/06/pakistan-attacks-taliban-_n_197605.html

[spanone]

1. .

:argh:

[babylonsister]

2. They're fighting their own battles at the moment.

I think that's encouraging.

[BeFree]

3. Yeah

Encouraging especially to the arms sellers. 'Rockets landing everywhere' means cha-ching.

I wonder how many of the weapons being used there are from General Betrayus' arsenal?