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.

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.