Peshawar isn't under siege yet but it is within striking distance of the Taliban. They have extended their civil war to the outskirts of the Northwest Frontier Province's capital city. Peshawar is along a key supply route for NATO forces in Afghanistan. It's also a major base for the Pakistan Army that has been fighting Taliban forces in the Pak-Afghan border areas. The Taliban has reached the Jemrud Road - which runs on the outskirts of Peshawar- it is a major artery that connects to the Khyber Pass. Last week, Taliban militants entered Peshawar and kidnapped 16 members of a local Christian community but they were later released.
There are reports that another 22 people have been killed and five girls' schools were burned down in Swat.
Reports say that the militants call themselves the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan - lead by Baitullah Mehsud, the man believed to be behind many major suicide blasts in Pakistan last year and also Benazir Bhutto's assassination. His group has established a parallel government in parts of the NWFP.
After years of a military campaign, the new democratic government in Pakistan signed a peace deal with militant leaders. They claim it has brought peace to the areas but as the Taliban closes in, it is clear that this is a fragile peace that's already falling apart.