Pakistan sends more troops to hold territory taken from Taliban

Washington Post:

Pakistan has told the Obama administration that it is sending an additional six army brigades to join a major government offensive against Taliban forces in the northwestern part of the country, and it has pledged to hold territory where extremist forces are dislodged, Pakistani and U.S. officials said yesterday.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said domestic support for the offensive, combined with U.S. assistance, would allow the effort to succeed where two previous military drives into the Swat Valley and surrounding territory failed.

In an interview yesterday with Washington Post reporters and editors, Zardari did not confirm the movement of the brigades, some of which were said by others, on the condition of anonymity, to be moving from Punjab province and the country's border with India.

...

If true this could be a sign of progress in Pakistan's comprehension of what is needed to do counterinsurgency operations. It also would show they are giving their most dangerous threat a priority. With Pakistan, it is hard to tell whether they will stay committed to such a policy. It will take more to defeat the Taliban than having an operation of a week or so.