PlusPakistani Military Strikes Against TalibanPakistani Military Strikes Against TalibanThe Associated PressA Pakistani para-military officer says forces shelled suspected militant hideouts in launching a major offensive against Taliban fighters in the country's volatile northwest region. (June 28)[Notes:ANCHOR VOICE] Military forces in Pakistan have started cracking down on the Taliban.It's the first major offensive the country's newly elected government has taken against the militants. [Notes:SOT Syed Irfan Ashraf, TV Journalist: "The problem is having low-gruelling effect and now it is escalating towards the settled area and now, after the settled area, Peshawar, which is the capital city of NWFP (North-West Frontier Province) is now facing this threat. In fact, the threat is very much potential."]And it's because of these threats the military decided to take action. Officials say Pakistani forces have taken control of a Khyber tribal area along the border with Afghanistan ... destroying three militant centers. [Notes:SOT Syed Zahir Shah, Local Journalist: "These are extremist groups which are fighting in the Khyber region Agency. There are also perceptions that perhaps these groups are intruding and what we have seen that some threats have also been issued to the people here.] Khyber is a key route for moving U-S military supplies into neighboring Afghanistan.The operation is expected to last up to a week. ___ ___, The Associated Press.(****END****)

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