Pakistani Military Captures Taliban Stronghold in Volatile Tribal Area, The Canadian Press, 7 February 2010
EXCERPT: "Pakistani security forces have seized a key Taliban stronghold in a northwestern area that the government had declared free of militants a year ago following a military offensive but has experienced periodic violence since then. The army captured Damadola on Saturday as part of an operation launched in late January to quell the persistent violence in the Bajaur tribal area. The offensive, which has killed more than 60 militants, is one of several that Pakistan has launched in recent months against Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in the volatile Afghan border region. The U.S. has praised Pakistan for its recent operations but has also pushed the government to take on other militants who are launching cross-border attacks against U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. Pakistan has resisted, saying it has its hands full battling militants waging war against the state, including those in Bajaur. 'We are in full control of Damadola,' said Abdul Malik, a local government official. 'We are also working to set up a militia to ensure the militants cannot return.' Damadola, a cluster of more than dozen villages about 10 miles (16 kilometres) north of the main town of Khar, has served as a stronghold for local and foreign militants for years and was one of the first areas targeted by U.S drone missile strikes in 2006."
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Related articles:
Pakistan's border war grows murkier, AOL News, 8 February 2010
Troops wrest Damadola from Taliban, Dawn, 7 February 2010
The Taliban babel, The News International, 1 February 2010
Afghan militants cross into Pakistan in bold attack, Los Angeles Times, 12 January 2009
Tribesmen claim clearing Bajaur agency of militants, Thaindian, 8 October 2008
Related media:
The Afghan-Pakistan militant nexus, BBC News, 1 December 2009
Strategic town of Bajaur is in Pakistan hands [video], Al Jazeera, 26 October 2008
Related posts:
Troops capture major Taliban base in Bajaur tribal agency, 2 February 2010
Northwest turns volatile following suicide attack, Bajaur offensive, 1 February
Rift among Bajaur Taliban widens as casualties mount, 29 January 2010
Militants regroup in northwest, army responds, 27 November 2009
Countering militancy in FATA, 26 October 2009
