Taliban, military clash in South Waziristan, Swat

Bill Roggio, writing for The Long War Journal, has an excellent update on Pakistan military actions in the FATA regions.

Fighting between the Taliban and the Pakistani military has been reported in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan and the settled district of Swat. In South Waziristan, the military is attacking Baitullah Mehsud's Taliban after the kidnapping of four soldiers, while in Swat the army continues its slow advance through the former vacation spot.

He continues with,

In Swat, the Pakistani military is continuing to fight a slow campaign in the settled district. The military was last reported to have advanced as far as Bahrain in central Swat, yet it is still fighting in the Matta and Kabal areas which it claimed to have secured over a month ago.

And finally,

After declaring a state of emergency at the beginning of November, President Pervez Musharraf said operations in Swat would be completed by Dec. 16, and resorts would be reopened shortly afterward. The state of emergency was lifted Dec. 14, but the military is still conducting operations in regions it reportedly secured early on.

To read the entire update, click here.