Waziristan Operation Could Be a Turning Point, Pak Military

Pakistani ground troops moved into Taliban-controlled areas Friday and engaged in the first gun battle of a new offensive in the volatile northwest, as an aerial and artillery bombardment pounded other targets. Officials said Friday's action did not represent the start of a full-scale operation in the tribal belt along the border with Afghanistan, but that most troops were now in place for when the orders came.

The war in the Swat valley started two months before when Taliban activists extended their actions into Buner district only 60 miles from the capital. There have been various issues about the exact achievement of the operation with the destiny of chief Swat activists leaders still unknown. Under the provisions of a peace pact, activists were likely to disarm in exchange for the execution of Sharia law all over the Malakand division, which contains Swat valley. As the war to extricate the Taliban stronghold, nearly 2.5 million people were displaced. The bulk of these are residing in camps on the bounds of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). While the Federal Defense Minister says that displaced can start to return home from Saturday, the UN says there are still important worries about their safety and welfare once they return. In the meantime, irregular aggression has continued to afflict Pakistan's impatient north-west. Taliban militants have blown up two boys’ schools and a number of several other educational institutes in the area near to the Swat valley have been besieged in recent months. The United Nations raised its security risk ranking in Pakistan to Level 3 which means that expatriate UN officials cannot keep their families in Pakistan this ranking comes just one week after noxious blast on Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar, in which 18 persons were assassinated including two UN staff members.Moreover senior state official Nematullah Khan of South Waziristan said Friday ground troops had started taking up positions around strongholds of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who is responsible for a chain of suicide hits in Pakistan that have killed more than 150 people since late May including former Prime Minister Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.

Above review is based on AP news