Pakistani offensive forces Taliban to flee Peshawar

Pakistani security forces have seized control of a town just outside Peshawar, a strategic city on Pakistan's northwest border with Afghanistan. The offensive is the new Pakistani government's first major military action to push back militants threatening Peshawar.

After the operation began, a top Taliban leader in Pakistan said he was suspending talks between his allies and the government. His spokesman said the Taliban would avenge any government use of force in tribal areas and other border regions.

The faces of local residents do not reveal much. These people live in Bara, where the military offensive is taking place. Bara is a town on the edge of the Khyber tribal region which is home to the Kyber Pass, a gate for vital supplies for Western forces in Afghanistan.

Only the broken walls and debris on the ground can reveal a little about events taking place in this small town.

Military sources say that a regional paramilitary force smashed at least four militant centers in Bara.

Abdul Wahab, Former Militant Commander, said, "This operation should stop. We are pleading through the media that this cruelty on us needs to be brought to an end."

The military action provided a rare chance to satisfy curiosity about the militant group, the Army of Islam in Khyber. It is one of seven ethnic Pushtu-majority regions in northwest Pakistan which have never come under the full control of any government.

Tariq Khan, Local student, said, "It is correct that the Taliban are on the rampage in Shabqadar; also in Matani. The Taliban are slowly moving in Peshawar, and very soon the Mujahdeen will control the entire northwest frontier province."

5,000 members of security forces are taking part in the offensive against extremists near the Afghan border in the tribal Khyber region, with four hundred sent Sunday.