Ummm.. Pakistan is attacking South Waziristan (stronghold of bin Laden). .

[annabanana]

There is a big fricken battle going on near Taliban headquarters right now and there seems to be precious little coverage of that over here.

BBC seems to find it pertinent.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8312932.stm
Taliban militants are putting up fierce resistance to the Pakistan army as it attempts to oust them from strongholds in the remote South Waziristan region.

The army has been massing troops near the militants' stronghold for months - ever since the governor of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province announced a ground offensive in South Waziristan on 15 June.

South Waziristan is considered to be the first significant sanctuary for Islamic militants outside Afghanistan since 9/11.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8313317.stm
Taliban militants are engaged in street fighting with Pakistani soldiers as the army tries to break the militants' grip on South Waziristan.

The army, on the second day of its offensive, is reported to be facing battle-hardened militants, supported by Uzbek fighters linked to al-Qaeda.

[Mrs. Overall]

1. K & R

[blm]

2. Going after AL Qaeda where they ARE instead of where they aren't. Get it NOW, Cheney?

Hopefully this targeted attack will break the stranglehold some of these groups have had in pockets of Pakistan.

[annabanana]

3. Is this what is actually between us and a Taliban armed with nukes?. . . .n/t

[blm]

7. pretty much...break this group and its leaders and Pakistan's leaders will breathe easier.

And it means a much better future for Afghanistan, too.

[AllentownJake]

Cheney never wanted to defeat Al Qaeda

If they were defeated who would justify the spending in the defense support industries like KBR and Haliburton.

[TomCADem]

6. Exactly, Look at Shock Doctrine By Naomi Klein

Just like the hard liners in Iran need a belicose America, the hard liners here need a strong Al Queda.

[blm]

11. yep....Al Qaeda in Iraq, my ass. They probably helicoptered them in with full escort service.

.

[nradisic]

4. Our guys are hopefully on the Afhan side of the border...

Time for a classic "Pinzer" move. The Pakistani Army is finally doing the right thing - the only place the Taliban and Al-Qaeda can run is towards the Afghan border...where our boys should be at the ready...This could be Tora-Bora #2, with huge involvement from American troops and Pakistani troops...The Taliban finally jumped the shark with their latest string of attacks throughout Pakistan. That was the last straw...

[kestrel91316]

5. Good. I hope they give them a serious ass-whooping.

NPR covered it.

[Paper Roses]

8. I wonder how any of out troops are on the ground with the Pakistanis?

BTW, do we come home if Bin Laden is captured or killed?

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

13. Very Few

The main U.S. contribution has been the air power, but American air support is an absolute necessity of Pakistan is going to win this thing.

[EndElectoral]

9. Perhaps they are getting close to the main people. Let's hope.

[alsame]

10. K&R

[eleny]

12. Waziristan is 1000 sq miles smaller than the state of Connecticut

Of course it's not a sea level area but mountainous. But I always thought it was much larger in area. Knowing the size has helped my perspective.

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waziristan
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/area.shtml

[lxlxlxl]

15. need a better word than 'mountainous' but yeah fighting on mountains is...

not as easy as we probably think it is. that is an impossible place to fight a war for eradication...impossible.

[eleny]

16. I'll leave finding the right word to you

I live in Colorado and know several people from Afghanistan who live here and who say this terrain reminds them of home.

[lxlxlxl]

14. a really amazing development honestly

did i think i would ever read this headline? no.

for all of our kvetching on here, and in other places about long-term strategy in this region, maybe this is the end of a long-term plan.

it does make sense for pakistan to take the lead in their own country, but we probably had to use ridiculous amounts of pressure and money to help make this happen. how many casualties are they going to face? is this the beginning of a long-term civil war in pakistan that will eventually lead to NATO involvement? what does this mean for american / chinese / indian relations?

im glad the pakistanis are taking the lead. i want to see bin laden dead, and hope we get to that point as soon as possible so the rest of the world can move forward.

[Kind of Blue]

17. Thanks for posting. I've found NPR has kept up

with this news, especially from reporters in Pakistan.

http://www.npr.org/search/index.php?searchinput=taliban%2C+pakistan