Bombay Effect

As Taliban take over the Swat Valley in northeast Pakistan, the troops sent to fight them are distracted, according to the AP.

On Friday, Pakistani intelligence officials said thousands of troops were being shifted toward the border with India, which blames Pakistani militants for terrorist attacks in Mumbai last month that killed 164 people. But there has been no sign yet of a major buildup near India.

"The terrorists' aim in Mumbai was precisely this — to get the Pakistani army to withdraw from the western border and mount operations on the east," said Ahmed Rashid, a journalist and author who has written extensively about militancy in the region. "The terrorists are not going to be sitting still. They are not going to be adhering to any sort of cease-fire while the army takes on the Indian threat. They are going to occupy the vacuum the army will create."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081229/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan_valley_of_fear
Scenic Pakistani valley falls to Taliban militants
By NAHAL TOOSI