Taliban Militants Tighten Grip in Pakistan

Pushing out from a valley where the government has agreed to impose Islamic law and patrolling villages as close as 60 miles from the capital, Taliban militants have extended their grip in northwestern Pakistan. Police and officials appear to have fled as armed militants also broadcast radio sermons and spread fear in Buner district, just 60 miles from Islamabad. Pakistan's president signed off on the peace pact last week in hopes of calming Swat, where some two years of clashes between the Taliban and security forces have killed hundreds and displaced up to a third of the one ti,e tourist haven's 1.5 million residents.

Al-Qaida's Hands Tied in Pakistan

The CIA has hampered al-Qaida's free rein in the tribal region of western Pakistan. Iran appears to be nearing a decision on whether to build a nuclear warhead according to departing CIA chief, Michael Hayden on Thursday. In what was probably his final briefing for reporters, Hayden said, "the great danger was that the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan was a safe haven. My belief is that it is neither safe nor a haven."

President-elect Barack Obama has picked Leon Panetta, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and a former Democratic congressman from California, to head the agency. There is a great deal of controversy over this appointment and many say he has no experience in this field and is not a good choice.

U.S. Fired at Insurgents in Pakistan

In Afghanistan, U.S. troops launched a barrage of artillery at insurgents attacking their position from inside Pakistan's volatile tribal region, This was in a cross-border strike coordinated with Pakistan's military according to U.S. and NATO officials.

Less than a mile inside Pakistan, the strike came after the militants fired rockets at a U.S. position in Afghanistan. Taliban and Al-Qaida militants have long found refuge in the border region, where they launch attacks on U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Sunday's operation highlights growing cooperation between Afghan, Pakistani and U.S. officers, according to military officials.

Pakistan Presses Ahead with Offensive

As they pressed ahead on Sunday with an offensive against extremists near the Afghan border, Pakistani paramilitary forces destroyed a handful of militant centers and uncovered alleged torture cells. A spokesman for Pakistan's top Taliban commander promised Sunday that militants would retaliate against the government. They were suspending efforts to reach and implement peace deals. Pakistan's new government has sought to reduce violence through new peace deals, so this operation in the Khyber tribal area is a shift from their plans.

Pakistans's President Frees Thousands of Opponents

President Musharraf freed thousands of opponents from jails Tuesday in a sign he is rolling back a wave of repression under emergency rule and flew to Saudi Arabia to talk about the future of an exiled rival, Nawaz Sharif. Saudi officials said there were efforts to arrange a meeting between Musharraf and Sharif, who was ousted as prime minister by the general's l999 coup. However, a Pakistani official said Musharraf's goal was to prevent Sharif from returning before parliamentary elections January 8.

Pakistan Rejects Call to lift Emergency Rule

President Musharral's government dismissed a last ditch U.S. call to end emergency rule, leaving the Bush administration with limited options Sunday in steering its nuclear armed ally back toward democracy. Pakistan said U. S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negro-Ponte brought no new proposals on a make or break visit,and received no assurances after urging Musharraf to restore the constitution and free thousands of political opponents.