It was not supposed to be like this: just a few months ago, Pakistan was basking in the glory of a decisive win over Taliban militants in the Swat Valley. The prestige of the beleaguered army had been restored and attacks in other parts of the country had dwindled to near zero. How quickly all of that has changed.
Over an eight-day period, Pakistan was rocked by a series of attacks that have left many wondering if the successes were only a glitch in an otherwise steady rise in violence and bloodshed. The numbers tell the tale: as of Tuesday, 106 dead and 145 injured, the vast majority of them civilians. Prior to the attacks, it was thought that the Taliban were broken and in disarray, unable to cause any serious damage after the death of their leader Baitullah Mehsud at the beginning of August in a U.S. drone strike and the subsequent power struggle to replace him. In hindsight, that now appears a little naive.
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