[agere_contra]

This does seem to be bad news, in that Musharaff is losing control of Miranshah - and also good news, in that tribal conflicts seem to be casually overcoming the unity of the One True Faith of the Prophet.

[denydenydeny]

It’s slso good news in that the idea of Coalition forces making incursions across the Pakistani border is becoming more acceptable.

[Gengis Khan]

Musharraf never fully controlled those areas. And there never is any “unity” among Muslims unless there is a substantial foreign threat involved that always brings them closer.

The “safe heaven” has allowed these groups to breed to the extent that now each faction is strong enough to assert their authority and there are others equally strong enough to challenge them. These clashes are actually a showdown over who is in control of the region.

Pakistan army has very little control on the ground which is why they have to resort to air strikes. Contrary to what many actually believe here at FR, Pakistan is just defending its ground against the jihadis. Not trying to fight a WOT but trying to prevent one and maintain status quo while the jihadis want to grow beyond the restricted boundaries of Waziristan and Mir Ali.

Going all out against those jihadi groups would spark a mutiny within the army.