The Pakistani military is yet again on the offensive against the Taliban in the district of Swat, which is well outside of the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. This is the third time the military has tried to eject the Taliban in the past two years. The two previous efforts ultimately failed, despite more than a division of Pakistani forces deployed in the small region.
There are three reasons for past Pakistani Army failures. One, the Taliban are organized to fight in military formations and are fighting fiercely. Two, the Pakistani Army has no aptitude to fight a counterinsurgency and over relies on airstrikes and artillery to dislodge the Taliban. This causes inordinate amount of civilian casualties and keeps the military from exploiting human intelligence. And three, the Pakistani military just flat out lacks the will to fight, which, by the way, is another reason they over rely on air and artillery strikes.
This report from an Al Jazerra journalist embedded with Pakistan troops demonstrates the poor fighting spirit of the Pakistani military as well as the Taliban's skill in counterattacking. The Taliban drives off what appears to be a company or battalion-sized assault of Pakistani troops. Pakistani tanks race away from the fighting, and the Pakistani infantry moving in behind them does the same shortly afterward. The reporter describes the Pakistani troops as "clearly shaken" and the commander calls in for airstrikes, placing the civilians in the line of fire.
Keep this in mind when reading reports of successful Taliban operations in Swat. The military may be able to make short term gains, but the Taliban in Swat have repeatedly shown the ability to strike back and regain control of the region that is about 100 miles from the capital of Islamabad.
