Pakistani forces take another beating

In another development that bodes ill for the Afghan campaign and the stability of Pakistan, the insurrection against the Pakistani government has taken a fort in the Tribal Areas in South Waziristan. About 20 Pakistani soldiers are missing, and if the established pattern holds true, these soldiers will become hostages.

Of course, this would never happen to American forces, right? The Decider is never at a lack for simplistic solutions to complex problems, and sending American troops into the Tribal Areas is his latest brainchild. Apparently Pakistani forces are unable to comprehend the simple concept of "kill all the bad guys", so our troops must move in and execute Bush's bold vision of....killing all the bad guys. How could this plan possibly fail?

story from China Daily

Hundreds of rebels seize fort, 47 dead

Hundreds of militants in northwest Pakistan attacked and captured a paramilitary fort early yesterday, and 40 militants and seven soldiers were killed and 20 soldiers missing, the military said.

The militants attacked the fort in the South Waziristan region on the Afghan border at about midnight on Tuesday and fighting went on for hours, military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said.

"About 200 miscreants attacked from different directions," Abbas said.

"They were able to breach one of the walls of the fort. In the process, there were about 40 militants dead and seven FC personnel were reported killed," he said, referring to the Frontier Corps paramilitary force.

Fifteen soldiers escaped and 20 were missing, he said.

A spokesman for the militants, Maulvi Omar, said they had killed 16 soldiers and captured 12 in the attack. He said only two of his men were killed. "The fort is still in our control," he said.

The Sara Rogha area where the fort is located is a stronghold of Al-Qaida-linked militant leader Baitullah Mehsud, who the government said was behind the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi on December 27.

Security forces retaliated with heavy artillery fire throughout yesterday, residents of the area said.

Pakistani forces have been trying to expel foreign militants and subdue their Pakistani allies in the lawless tribal belt along the border with Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding.

Source: China Daily/Agencies