Pakistan: The Ongoing Offensive in Bajaur

Government forces closed in on two towns in Bajaur agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on Feb. 7. Just two days earlier, the government captured the Pakistani Taliban stronghold of Damadola. The drive to capture these areas is part of Operation Sherdil, which aims to squeeze the Taliban from the northern end of the FATA to complement the efforts in the southern and central parts of the tribal belt. While the Taliban in the area have suffered setbacks, government forces are stretched thin, meaning long-term control of the region will have to be handed over to local proxies — a solution that brings its own problems.