-- ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The army said Saturday that it has massed 15,000 troops for a major assault on Islamic militants in a scenic northern valley, whose fall has raised concern about Pakistan's ability to withstand rising extremism.This won't be an easy go... the "tribal areas" are the Pakistani equivalent of the wild, wild, west of 150 years ago... with automatic weapons.
Foreign fighters have allegedly joined the armed followers of Maulana Fazlullah, a pro-Taliban cleric in the valley, amplifying Western fears that swaths of Pakistan near the Afghan border offer an increasingly safe haven for al-Qaida.I'm guessing there will be a little unofficial support from American assets stationed along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Make no mistake, this is a big one.
