Holbrooke doubts campaign's success

Washington: Pakistan has declared its three-month anti-Taliban offensive in the Swat Valley a success, claiming to have killed more than 1,800 militants. But on Wednesday US special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke cast doubt on whether the push had actually achieved its goal: defeating the Taliban.

Pakistan launched the offensive in late April, after the Taliban flouted a peace deal signed in February and took control of the area, setting off alarm bells in Washington. Holbrooke's remarks were a rare expression of doubt over Swat by a member of the Obama administration, which has praised Pakistan's effort.

They indicate a growing sense of worry that rather than crushing the Taliban, the offensive may have simply pushed the fighters underground.

"We don't know exactly to what extent the Pakistani Army dispersed or destroyed the enemy," Holbrooke told reporters on Wednesday, after returning from Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to Reuters.

"The test of this operation is, of course, when the refugees return. Can they go home? Are they safe? And we're just going to have to wait and see."

Most of the Swat Taliban's top commanders, including leader Mullah Fazlullah, have "escaped the Pakistani government's operation", reports Long War Journal, a blog that follows Pakistan, citing a Taliban spokesman.

At the same time, large numbers of the two million refugees who fled the fighting in Swat are making their way home, reports Financial Times. Government figures say as many as 40 per cent of those internally displaced by the fighting may be returning.

Also, according to Financial Times, Pakistani security officials say Taliban members in Swat may have gone into hiding among the civilian population and may continue to fight. That puts everyone from schoolgirls to truck drivers on Nato supply routes in danger, reports the newspaper.

Security forces acknowledge the danger of the Taliban melting away into the local population and staging guerrilla attacks. Military experts say it is difficult to identify who belongs to the ranks of the Taliban and what their strategic goals may be.

"The Taliban may not want to seize territory but simply to keep the government, the military and common people surrounded by fear," said a senior security official. "Their agenda is going to be to keep on reminding us they are a powerful force."

Taliban militants have also continued to attack supply convoys for Nato troops in Afghanistan. "As you can see, the Taliban are searching for any weak point they can find," said the senior security official.