But the terrain and the entrenchment of the enemy make it a formidable task compared with the anti-Taliban offensive in the Swat valley earlier this year.

ECONOMIST: South Waziristan

The army launched an offensive last month into the valley targeting the Pakistani Taliban and an allied group, Lashkar-e-Islam.

NPR: 8 Pakistani Soldiers And Police Killed In Violence

Meanwhile, at least 30 Pakistani soldiers and nearly 100 militants have been killed in fierce fighting in a remote, northwest valley over the past four days following a ground offensive launched by the army, military officials said Monday.

WSJ: Pakistan Court Orders Musharraf to Respond

Last year some 2m people were displaced from Swat as a military offensive drove the Pakistani Taliban out of the scenic valley.

ECONOMIST: Blighted Pakistan

The army launched the offensive against the Pakistani Taliban and their allies in the Tirah Valley on Friday after weeks of fighting between rival militant groups forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee the rugged, mountainous area.

WSJ: Pakistan Court Orders Musharraf to Respond

Such a policy, which I call the Stabilization Plan, (and here), involves a mix of military and law enforcement operations, a political and international law offensive, and the application of Israeli law in the Jordan Valley and the major blocs of Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The Israeli Left's loser message