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August 16, 2009

US Envoy Praises Pakistani Efforts Against Taliban
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Richard Holbrooke says Pakistani army has made gains against Taliban
militants and the country is now better-off than a few months ago 
US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke in
Islamabad, Pakistan, 16 Aug 2009 U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke is
in Pakistan, where he is praising the military's recent efforts against
Taliban fighters. Holbrooke told reporters Sunday that the Pakistani
army has made gains against Taliban militants and the country is now
better-off than a few months ago. U.S. officials have long focused on
Pakistan's Taliban-dominated tribal regions as a primary cause of
Afghanistan's instability. Holbrooke said recent Pakistani army
successes mean officials can now address other problems in the region -
most importantly the dismal economy. Holbrooke had also been scheduled
to visit the northwestern Swat Valley, but a U.S. Embassy spokesman said
heavy rain forced him to postpone the trip. Pakistan army troops patrol
in Mingora, capital of Pakistan's troubled Valley of Swat, after a
suicide attack on troops Pakistan's military launched an offensive in
Swat and surrounding areas in late April after Taliban militants
violated a peace deal and began advancing toward the capital, Islamabad.
The military says it has driven most of the Taliban from the valley. But
some fighting persists. On Sunday, the bodies of 18 suspected Taliban
militants were discovered in different areas of Swat. It is unclear what
happened to them. Some news reports say military officials believe local
residents killed them as an act of revenge. Other officials say the
fighters were killed by a rival faction. On Saturday, a suicide bomber
rammed his car into a Swat security checkpoint in the town of Khawaza
Kehla, killing five soldiers and wounding four others. Suicide attacks
have also rattled Afghanistan, where Holbrooke will go next to observe
the August 20 presidential and local council elections. Some information
for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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