Pakistani internal security (catch all)

[Wana88]

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=3850

On Sunday, 25 more Taliban militants -- including a senior leader, Miraj Burki -- died in clashes with Pakistani security forces in Burki's strongholds in the Spinkai Raghzai and Tiarza areas of South Waziristan.

A resident of Jandola, interviewed by telephone, said that hundreds of troops along with heavy military hardware, including tanks and artillery pieces, were seen transiting the town last Tuesday. The troops were moving towards the Mehsud area, the stronghold of Baitullah Mehsud, head of Pakistan's largest militant group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Baitullah's operational commander, Qari Hussain, is close to the al-Qaida leadership in the area, so the latter is expected to fully back the Taliban militants in the fighting with government forces.

The military action against Baitullah is being launched while the Pakistani military is still fighting a tough battle against Taliban militants in certain parts of the Malakand district, including the Swat valley. [B]Critics have also questioned the rationale of Zardari's revealing the Waziristan operation well before it actually began."