The Taliban are approaching the gates of Islamabad, Pakistan. The Pakistani army’s brutal counteroffensive begins, with the battle for control of the Swat Valley in search of Maulana Fazlullah, the region’s most powerful Taliban leader, in Mingora. Fleeing refugees speak of “dozens of Taliban suicide bombers” still ready to blow themselves up against troops. In the village of Puchar, soldiers hanged captured Taliban and left them dangling from trees. In the village of Sharzay, they dropped their bodies, wrapped in plastic bags, from helicopters directly onto Taliban positions. Artillery and air forces fire from afar as soon as they suspect they’ve located an enemy hideout.
