Pakistan army halts operations in Swat

Now that the Pakistani Army has pulled out of the Swat region ! There is nothing to stop the Taliban from "Rebuilding" it's base ! That means that they will Probably start Protecting Al Qaida , and give them a place to train ! If Pakistan really thinks that the Taliban is just going to stop ! they are very , very , Mistaken .

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistan army said on Monday it had ceased operations against Taliban militants in the northwestern valley of Swat, and an Islamist cleric asked for troops to be shifted to "safer places" to give peace a chance.

U.S. officials have expressed unease about Pakistan's strategy for pacifying Swat. They fear it could result in another safe haven for al Qaeda and Taliban militants in the country.

"The military operation has been halted," military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas told Reuters, explaining that further civilian casualties would have alienated support for the army.

....

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes, and the Taliban largely controls the valley despite the presence of four army brigades or 12,000 to 16,000 troops.

The army had already reduced operations in Swat because it lacked public backing, and was hampered by the breakdown of the local administration and ineffectiveness of the police in the face of the insurgency, Abbas said.

Abbas said there would be no sanctuary for militants in Swat so long as the writ of the state was re-established.

But he said that at this stage that was "a big if."