Taliban Counter-Attack

It appears Pakistan has suffered its first set back in the ongoing battle with the Taliban, this is unfortunate and we can only hope the Pakistan military holds and goes back on the offensive:

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - Taliban militants attacked Pakistani forces and recaptured a strategic town on Tuesday on the approach to an insurgent base in south Waziristan, security officials said.

Government forces captured the small town of Kotkai, the birthplace of Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, in fighting on Monday night, but militants struck back on Tuesday to retake it, security officials said.The fighting for control of lawless South Waziristan is a major test of the government's ability to tackle an increasingly brazen insurgency that has seen a string of attacks in various parts of the country.

Remote and rugged South Waziristan, with its rocky mountains and patchy forests cut through by dry creeks and ravines, is a global hub for militants, and the offensive is being closely followed by the United States and other powers embroiled in Afghanistan

"Seven soldiers, including a major, and several Taliban were killed in the fighting," an intelligence official in the region told Reuters.Another intelligence official said jets bombed Taliban positions in and around Kotkai after the militant counter-attack.