Pakistan battles Taliban
Entering the combat zone, soldiers are on high alert watching for attacks. We’ve arrived in the town of Loesam which is in ruins and now lies under military control. Civilians fled long ago, hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Most of the rubble here has been caused by airstrikes, but the military must occupy the area it says, or the militants will return. For the army, this is a crucial victory because Loesam lies between Pakistan and Afghanistan and its geography allows militants to launch attacks into both countries and is ideal for guerilla warfare, says this colonel. The army now controls the main road here, and it took six weeks to secure that area. The Taliban were deeply dug in connected by underground tunnels. Forty men can fight underground in this bunker at one time. This is not a popular war in Pakistan and the government has been criticized for killing fellow Muslims, but that hasn’t stopped the intensity of the campaign.
The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?