A local security commander and two intelligence officials said that 15 or 16 suspected
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Wazoo.The latest air strikes came only a week after security forces moved in on Taliban strongholds in the area.
Security forces have been using air force in the Zarb-e-Azb
..the Pak offensive against Qaeda in Pakistain and the Pak Taliban in North Wazoo. The name refers to the sword of the Prophet (PTUI!)...
operation to soften targets.
The Taliban used to control all of North Waziristan, a mountainous region that includes the Shawal Valley and runs along the Afghan border. But the military launched an operation there last June and has recaptured most of it.
NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
forces had long urged Pakistain to carry out such an offensive, saying Taliban safe havens in Pakistain were being used to attack NATO and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.
Now locals believe that the military is gearing up for an operation in Shawal Valley, where the Taliban still freely operates.
The area is a stronghold of Khan "Sajna" Said, a leader of a Taliban faction whose name was added to a sanctions list of "specially designated global terrorists" by U.S. authorities last year.
There have been a number of air strikes in the Shawal Valley over the past week and two drone attacks, but no sign of a large ground offensive.
Most phone lines to the area have been cut and military roadblocks curtail civilian movement.