Bloody, bloody Waziristan

Big fighting, airstrikes on villages, somewhere around 250 killed so far and civilians fleeing in the latest Pakistani attack on Waziristan. Several versions out there, AFP, Reuters, WaPo, NYTimes, but I think the BBC version really captures what the Pakistanis face,

During the last few months, military personnel have increasingly become targets of ambushes and kidnappings.

The headless bodies of several kidnapped soldiers have been found, with messages from the militants warning the army to pull out of the area.

In some of the latest fighting on Monday, the army reported 50 troops missing when a supply convoy to one of the garrisons in the north eastern part of the district was ambushed.

Local reports say all 50 were killed and their bodies set on fire. The army says only 25 were killed.

In August, militants in the neighbouring South Waziristan district kidnapped nearly 300 troops, including at least nine officers, who are yet to be released.

Significantly, many of these troops are reported to have surrendered without firing a shot.

Needless to say, morale is low.