Taliban On the Move

Time will tell if this is a tactical retreat or a response to government threats. A spokesman for the Taliban says they are withdrawing from their position only 62 miles from the capital of Pakistan after occupying the town for a few days. The Taliban already control key areas of the country, where the government has allowed them to use Sharia law in a peace accord that drew fire from the U.S. government, but their recent aggressive push toward the capital frightened residents. Previously, a spokesman for the Taliban said they had crossed Swat into Buner, a town very close to Islamabad, as "a gesture of solidarity" with friends in the region, and were not leaving. The Pakistani government made clear this week that they would use force to drive the militants out.