Pakistan Is Now Fighting Its War Against The Taliban In Its Major Cities

Pakistani tanks take part in a military raid against Islamic militants in Darra Adam Khel. Troops and helicopter gunships killed about 40 Taliban militants while four people were injured in a roadside bomb in northwest Pakistan. (AFP/Tariq Mahmood)

Taliban 'Infiltrating Pakistan Cities' -- The Australian

FEARS over the "Talibanisation" of Pakistan's major urban centres rose sharply yesterday after a warning from one of the country's most powerful leaders that 400,000 militants had infiltrated Karachi, the teeming port city vital to bringing in supplies for coalition forces in Afghanistan.

At the same time, nervous traders in the Punjab city of Lahore, the former capital of the Mughal empire that has long been regarded as a beacon of cultural freedom in the region, were reported to be setting fire to "immoral" videos and CDs after receiving warnings from the Taliban against such stock.

The action follows the bombing of several fresh fruit juice bars in the city after the owners ignored warnings to stop allowing boys and girls to "indulge in immoral acts" on the premises.

Such "immoral acts" generally amount to no more than enjoying a juice together, but have apparently caused offence to the Taliban.

Both cities are far from the battlegrounds of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the North West Frontier Province, which have been the main targets for the fast-encroaching militancy. Nervousness about the Talibanisation of both cities is seen as a reflection of how rapidly the jihadis are advancing into key urban areas.

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My Comment: The civil war in Pakistan is escalating by the month. Within a year .... this civil war has the potential to be one of the world's most bloodiest conflict.