Wazoo tribal region in anticipation of a long-rumoured military operation, raising questions about the effectiveness of such intervention.The exodus from the mountainous district on the Afghan border began in late May following air strikes by the Pak military, locals said.
But it has been hastened by the Taliban's all-night siege of Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
airport this week, which all but destroyed a tentative grinding of the peace processor.
On Wednesday night two US drone strikes hit the region killing at least 16 in the first such attack this year, fueling suspicion of coordination between the two countries, with Islamabad's patience for talks seemingly exhausted.
But as pressure builds for a fuller response to the airport assault, which was joined by snuffies from Uzbekistan, residents and officials in North Waziristan's main town of Miranshah
... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a
ministatein centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas...
said the majority of foreign and local fighters had already left.
"Most of them have gone deep into the mountains towards the Afghan border," a security bigshot said.
The locals said turban groups were also seen escaping from villages that are a known hub of the dreaded Haqqani network, an Al-Qaeda affiliate known for its spectacular attacks against US forces in Afghanistan.