The Pakistani army declared victory over the Taliban in part of the tribal belt near Afghanistan, saying Tuesday that the military operation in the area is finished and civilians can expect to return home soon.
The announcement about the Orakzai tribal region may free the army to send some troops to other districts where Islamist insurgents have bases that threaten the Pakistani state and U.S. troops across the border.
But the victory could also be fleeting — the army has declared success in other trouble spots in the past, only to see militants regroup and resurge.
The offensive in Orakzai came on the heels of an operation against the Pakistani Taliban in the South Waziristan tribal area. Many militants in South Waziristan were believed to have fled to Orakzai, though the top Pakistani Taliban leaders are believed to be in North Waziristan, an area the Pakistani army has resisted attacking.
For months, the military pounded Orakzai with airstrikes, eventually staging a ground operation as well. The offensive intensified in March, with the reported daily death tolls of suspected militants sometimes in the dozens.
Information from the region has been nearly impossible to verify independently because not only is Orakzai remote and dangerous, but access to any part of the tribal belt is severely restricted.
By: Brant
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