Daud Khattak, a broadcaster with RFE/RL's Pakistani service, Radio Mashaal, recently released a policy paper for the New America Foundation analyzing the ongoing battle between Taliban militants and Pakistani security forces for control of the Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan.
"Although Swat is known as the Switzerland of Asia because of its scenic beauty...Talibanization in Swat brought destruction to the otherwise peaceful area," Khattak writes. "Hundreds of people--anti-Taliban and bystanders--were gunned down, beheaded, kidnapped, or expelled from their homes."
Khattak's paper, "The Battle For Pakistan: Militancy and Conflict in the Swat Valley", was released as part of the New America Foundation’s Counterterrorism Strategy Initiative series. [download the full PDF (3.5MB)] The Battle For Pakistan project features a number of policy papers, analyzing the trends of militant activity and effectiveness of counterterrorism initiatives in each of Pakistan’s tribal regions.
The project was officially launched by the New America Foundation at an event in Washington, D.C. on April 19.
-- Alex Mayer