Paks Swat offensive: Taliban may just be buying time

For the past month and a half,the Pakistani military has claimed success in retaking the Swat valley from the Taliban,clawing back its own territory from insurgents who only a short time ago were extending their reach toward the heartland of the country. Yet from a helicopter flying low over the valley last week,the low-rise buildings of Mingora in Swat,now under a 24-hour curfew,appeared unscathed. In the surrounding countryside,farmers had harvested wheat and red onions on their unscarred land.

All that is testament to the fact that the Taliban mostly melted away without a major fight,possibly to return when the military withdraws or to fight elsewhere,military analysts say. The reassertion of control over Swat has at least temporarily denied the militants a haven they coveted inside Pakistan. The offensive has also won strong support from the US,which has urged Pakistan to engage the militants.

Signs abound that the militarys campaign in Swat is less than decisive. The military extended its deadline for ending the campaign. Even in areas where progress has been made,the military controls little more than urban centers,say those who have fled the areas. The military has also failed to kill or capture even one top Taliban commander.

It was very disappointing, said Aftab Ahmed Sherpao,a politician from the region,that none of the commanders had been eliminated. Many Taliban fighters have infiltrated the camps for those displaced and are likely to return with them to Swat,said Himayatullah Mayar,the mayor of Mardan,where many refugees are staying. Most of the Taliban shaved their beards,and are living here with their families, he said. Two weeks ago,150 suspected Taliban had been arrested from the camps.