Pakistanis take town back from Taliban

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistani commandos dropped from helicopters Wednesday into an area behind Taliban lines some 80 miles from Islamabad, the capital, and regained control of a key town, the army said. But authorities faced a fresh challenge after militants seized a police station, holding dozens of officers hostage.

Helicopters dropped troops before 8 a.m. near Daggar, the main town in the Buner district, the army said. The area has seen fighting between the military and Taliban forces for several days.

The army said it had killed at least 50 militants in Buner during the past two days of fighting but estimated that 500 fighters remain. The offensive might last another week, the military added, given that troops are running into resistance in mountainous areas.

“We assure the nation that armed forces have the capability to ward off any kind of threat,” military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told reporters.

In other developments Wednesday, officials here say a suspected U.S. missile strike killed five people in Pakistani territory along the Afghan border. The unmanned U.S. missile strikes are extremely unpopular in Pakistan, drawing criticism that the nation’s sovereignty is being violated.

Abbas said the army had destroyed two ammunition depots that hold arms for the militants but still had not managed to reach several towns in Buner that remain Taliban strongholds, including Pir Baba and Ambela.

Eighteen police and paramilitary personnel seized by the Taliban in the Pir Baba police station Tuesday were freed Wednesday, but about 50 hostages still remain in the hands of militants.

“The army has implemented this operation pretty well, but unfortunately the Taliban got ahold of some police stations before the troops got there,” said Zafar Hilaly, an analyst and former ambassador. “And knowing the way the Taliban operate, this could mean long, drawn-out negotiations.”