It was two weeks ago that the Pakistani army and Frontier Corps launched their long-awaited assault upon the Taliban/al Qaeda stronghold of South Waziristan. For those who have followed this important conflict, we last left off discussing the large and mountain-surrounded town of Kaniguram. After being driven from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and then Wana, South Waziristan, the al Qaeda affiliated Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan has made this town their base; with nowhere else to run to, they are likely to fight to the death. The Pakistani army has surrounded the town and is trying to move in with a three-pronged assault.
The battle for Kaniguram could easily be the toughest fight in South Waziristan, and across the North-West Frontier Province, for the Pakistani army. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is reputed to be comprised of fierce fighters with nothing left to lose and are allegedly in charge of the town right now. Even with the reported death of their leader in a U.S. drone strike, they can be expected to put up a tough and bloody fight. It was nearby Kaniguram that a now infamous passport showed up.
In addition to the stronghold of Kaniguram, Pakistani security forces are also continuing in a slow and deliberate fashion towards Makeen and Sararouga. While the fights for those towns may not be as tough as Kaniguram could be, they will certainly be very challenging for the Pakistani forces.
The BBC has a pretty decent piece up about where things currently stand in South Waziristan.
In other news relating to the Pakistani fight against militants;
The Frontier Corps has promised to end informal crossings between Pakistan and Afghansitan.
Another government official in Balochistan, south of South Waziristan, has been shot in Quetta. If the army accomplishes its goals in South Waziristan, it may be Balochistan along with North Waziristan that begins to get eye-balled by security forces. The region has become increasingly troubled.
7 members of Pakistani security forces were killed by a roadside bomb in the Khyber region of the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas. Before his succession to replace Baitullah Mehsud as head of the Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud had control over this agency.
In nearby Orakzai agency(and it seems Kurram as well), at least 12 militants were killed in Pakistani air and artillery strikes. Reuters put the number at 13, but both they and Dawn report the destruction of 11 militant hide-outs/training camps. The militant death toll is likely to rise given that they were "completely razed" according to locals. Interestingly, security forces say they saw the militants as they were trying to make it to Tora Bora. The News also has covered both the campaign in Khyber and Orakzai. Orakzai, like Khyber, is one of the agencies that Hakimullah Mehsud had control of before his ascension as leader of the Pakistani Taliban.