Taliban rebels are beheading and burning their way through Pakistan's Swat Valley

[uppityperson]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008571595_pak30.html

Taliban add another region to their control

Taliban rebels are beheading and burning their way through Pakistan's Swat Valley, and residents say the insurgents now control most of the mountainous region far from the lawless tribal areas where jihadists thrive.

"You can't imagine how bad it is," said Muzaffar ul-Mulk, a lawmaker whose home in Swat was attacked by bombers in mid-December, weeks after he left. "It's worse day by day."

The Taliban activity in northwest Pakistan also comes as the country shifts forces east to the Indian border because of tensions over last month's attacks in Mumbai, potentially giving insurgents more space to maneuver along the Afghanistan frontier.

Rebels began preying on Swat two years ago, and it is now too dangerous for foreign and Pakistani journalists to visit. Interviews with residents, lawmakers and officials who have fled the region paint a dire picture.

[Wiley50]

1. "Swat Teams" are out of control everywhere n/t