PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- In October 2007, former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf deployed more than 25,000 security forces to Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan to fight against Taliban militants under the command of Maulana Fazlullah and restore peace to the picturesque valley. At the time, military commanders claimed that the whole mountainous region would be cleared of all militants within two weeks. The locals hoped the heavy deployment of security forces would be instrumental in defeating the rising tide of militancy that increasingly threatened their lives and property. Fifteen months later, the inhabitants of Swat valley are witnessing a completely different scenario: Bearded militants, wearing camouflage outfits and carrying heavy machine guns, have destroyed schools and bridges, and openly administered "Islamic" punishments to so-called "U.S. spies" and government sympathizers, in broad daylight in the main square of Mingora, Swat District's main town.
Pakistan Falters Against Taliban in Swat Valley
