In the Pakistani army’s offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan, the line between victims and villains remains unclear
Mustafa Qadri
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 20 October 2009 16.30 BST
The Pakistan army’s invasion of the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan this week brings few surprises. For years observers in Washington and Brussels have been pressing for an assault on this scale. The army says its aims in Operation Rah-e-Nijat (“Road out of Misery”) are to finally eliminate the main sanctuary for the Taliban and al-Qaida in Pakistan and, according to army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, the foreign and local “elements” that given them succour.