The United States says securing Pakistan’s western border is key to restoring stability in Afghanistan.
The predominantly tribal region is home to many anti-government armed groups and is the staging site for attacks inside Afghanistan.
But as Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder reports from Islamabad, the Pakistani government has little control over the region and defence experts say the situation could get even worse.
The Swat Valley is an area few journalists are able to operate in and it appears that despite the presence of thousands of extra Pakistani troops the Taliban remain firmly in control. Policemen have been beheaded in the streets, men have been lashed and dozens schools have been burnt down under the Taliban justice and their version of Sharia law. Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder travelled to the Swat Valley from where he sent this exclusive report.
Taliban fighters in Pakistan have fired at a convoy of trucks transporting supplies to Western forces in Afghanistan. Itis the latest in a string of attacks along the treacherous Khyber Pass.
Attackers have torched hundreds of trucks along the mountainous route – the most important supply line for Western forces – in recent weeks.