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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared Tired Gay succumbs to Dix in 200 meters 03 Jul 2010 Democratic senator's lead shrinks in California: poll 08 Jul 2010 California transit cop verdict sparks looting 2:32am EDT North American concert sales plunge in first half 08 Jul 2010 UPDATE 1-US 30-yr mortgage rate drops to new record low 08 Jul 2010 Viagra-popping seniors lead the pack for STDs 06 Jul 2010 Netanyahu bodyguards' guns go missing on U.S. visit | Video 07 Jul 2010 Germans shell-shocked by oracle octopus 06 Jul 2010 LeBron James joins the Heat in search of elusive title 12:17am EDT BP slows Alaska offshore oil drill plan 08 Jul 2010 Tired Gay succumbs to Dix in 200 meters 03 Jul 2010 Viagra-popping seniors lead the pack for STDs 06 Jul 2010 Democratic senator's lead shrinks in California: poll 08 Jul 2010 California transit cop verdict sparks looting 2:32am EDT Aircraft completes first solar-powered night flight | Video 08 Jul 2010 Netanyahu bodyguards' guns go missing on U.S. visit | Video 07 Jul 2010 Double dip fears sends investors to cash: EPFR 08 Jul 2010 BP slows Alaska offshore oil drill plan 08 Jul 2010 Analysis: Money managers see no double-dip 08 Jul 2010 Google's Schmidt undaunted by Apple or Facebook 08 Jul 2010 Fear belies Pakistan boasts of becalmed borderlands Digg This Tweet This Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook Related News At least 41 dead in suicide bombings in Pakistan Thu, Jul 1 2010 Gen. Petraeus confirmed as new U.S. Afghan commander Wed, Jun 30 2010 Top general plays down Afghan war expectations Tue, Jun 29 2010 U.S. missile strike kills 6 militants in northwestern Pakistan Tue, Jun 29 2010 Analysis: Pakistan seeks to exploit U.S. command vacuum Mon, Jun 28 2010 Related Topics World » China » China Labor Unrest » Afghanistan And Pakistan » By Chris Allbritton SADDA | Thu Jul 8, 2010 7:06pm EDT SADDA Pakistan (Reuters) - The road from Parachinar to Thal in Pakistan's tribal borderlands, just a few kilometers from Afghanistan, used to be sliced by warring Sunni and Shi'ite militias and then blocked by various Taliban groups. Today, the Pakistan army says, it is open and free. Pink flowers bloom on roadsides where homemade bombs were once planted. Field hands work the rich rice fields and the market -- surrounding a square once used by the Taliban for executions -- is bustling. All appears well in Kurram agency. At least that's how the army wants journalists to see it. On a media trip to Kurram sponsored by the Pakistani military, army commanders presented an area racked by sectarian violence and infiltrated by Afghan and Pakistani Taliban as pacified. Commanders on the ground said that between 3,000 and 4,000 militants had been driven out and would never return. "I am 200 percent sure we cleared the militants," said Col. Tausif Akhtar, commander of the troops in Kurram. In a briefing, Akhtar said 96 militants had been killed and more than 100 captured. Eighteen Pakistani Army troops were killed and 46 wounded, he said. "They have either been killed or left the area," he said. But, he added, there are "small pockets" of militants remaining. "They are not that important." He estimated the remaining militants number no more than two dozen. Mansur Khan Mahsud, research coordinator for the FATA Research Center in Islamabad, said that was doubtful. "They have not been driven out," he said, agreeing with the army's estimate of the number of militants in the region. "The military claims some areas, but the Taliban are still in control in many areas in central Kurram." AERIAL BOMBARDMENT The Pakistani military in October last year launched an assault on South Waziristan, then the stronghold of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. Militants led by Hakimullah Mehsud -- who got his start as a militant commanding Kurram's Taliban -- scattered via Kurram to other areas. At the same time, the Pakistani military stepped up its aerial and bombardment campaign against Kurram militants, moved to defuse Sunni-Shi'ite tensions and clear and hold areas that had been beyond control of even the British Raj. They even opened up the 84-km stretch of road between Parachinar in Upper Kurram and Thal in Hangu District in neighboring Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. But the signs of continuing insecurity are numerous, indicating that militancy in Kurram is more tenacious than expected, and militants are either returning or never left in the first place: * A convoy of journalists was accompanied by three truckloads of heavily armed Pakistani soldiers to each location; * Soldiers said it's not safe to linger for more than a few moments in the bustling market; * Civilians at a food distribution center lining up for flour and medicine stared suspiciously at outsiders until an army commander led them in patriotic chants. At least 25 militants have been killed in clashes with security forces since June 1. More recently at least 10 militants were killed in a clash between rival militant factions in central Kurram on July 1. More ominously, Taliban militants executed a man, Liaq Khan, on July 2 on charges of being a spy for the Americans. "If the agency has been cleared, how can they fight there, kidnap people and kill them on charges of spying for the Americans?" Mahsud said. "THEY WILL NOT LET ME SAY ANYTHING" Kurram civilians also complain. "We cannot travel on the road without an escort from the Kurram Militia, because there are many dangers on the road," said Haji Kamal Hussain, president of the Parachinar Traders' Welfare Union. The Kurram Militia is part of paramilitary Frontier Corps force and largely made up of local people. All this makes the military watchful and even a bit jumpy. Soldiers conspicuously eavesdropped on the comments of a local columnist as he chose each of his words carefully, an overt display of control usually more subtle in other parts of Pakistan. "They will not let me say anything," said Azmat Ali Khan, a local journalist, referring to the nearby soldiers. Kurram Agency is no stranger to strife. This spit of Pakistani tribal territory that juts into Afghanistan was the initial haven for Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda fighters -- including, allegedly, Osama bin Laden. They were fleeing the 2001 battle of Tora Bora, itself just visible over the ridge of mountains at a military base in upper Kurram. It has also been racked by sectarian violence between Sunni and Shi'ite tribes, the only part of Pakistan's border region that is majority Shi'ite. The Taliban and al Qaeda's virulent anti-Shi'ite ideology has meant years of bloody fighting, sometimes with the Pakistan army caught in the middle. Today, its roads provide easy access to other tribal areas such as Orakzai, Khyber and North and South Waziristan, all of which have been havens and staging grounds for Taliban militants on both sides of the border. Thanks to its rugged terrain and strategic location, it is a crossroads for militants moving between Pakistan's tribal badlands and Afghanistan's Pashtun heartland. Khan, the journalist, said the Taliban still controlled large parts of Kurram. "The Taliban were supported in the past yet right now, some people are still supporting them," he said. "Local people." But the surest sign of a remaining militant presence was the look of fear on people's faces. "There are many things to say, be we are unable to say because we are bound here," said Khan. "The local people are fighting for their survival." (Additional reporting by Zeeshan Haider and Augustine Anthony in Islamabad, and Javed Hussain in Parachinar; Editing by Nick Macfie) (For more coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: here) World China China Labor Unrest Afghanistan And Pakistan Add a Comment *We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Analyst Research Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Labs Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. 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