The battle for the Taliban heartland in Swat moved up a gear on Tuesday as crack commando units were airlifted to mountains ringing Peochar, the district headquarters of militant chief Fazlullah and his band of fighters. It is much too early to predict the outcome but the result will have a huge bearing on the wider fight against militancy.

A rout here of the Taliban — and, ideally, the capture or surrender of Fazlullah — may demoralise the militants who still control Mingora, Swat’s largest city, and lead to desertions in other areas as well. If the military is to be believed, this is already happening in Malakand Division as a whole, where new recruits and ‘criminal elements’ who had sided with the Taliban are said to have lost their appetite for battle. The military also maintains that nearly 750 militants have been killed so far in the ongoing operation. Unfortunately, there is no way of independently verifying these claims or, in some cases, distinguish-ing between dead fighters and civilians caught in the crossfire.

That said, it is clear that significant advances have been made in recent days and the Taliban are now on the defensive. Given the appeasement policies of successive governments, perhaps they never expected so ferocious a response. A rout of the Fazlullah-led Taliban may also destabilise their counterparts in the tribal belt, which must become the focus of counter-insurgency efforts once peace is achieved in Swat.

A Taliban setback in Swat could, however, also produce the reverse effect in the tribal areas. It may serve as a catalyst for binding together the loose confederation of militants operating there and ultimately produce a more united fighting force. Needless to say, a Taliban victory in Swat — or even a stalemate — will be an unmitigated disaster. It will further embolden an already audacious enemy and spell ruin for the country.

The current crackdown has naturally gone down well with the US which had long been pushing, to put it mildly, for decisive action against the Taliban. Washington’s routine public criticism of Islamabad’s capitulation as well as aspersions cast on Pakistan’s security apparatus served no constructive purpose whatsoever. Any such complaints ought to have been discussed solely on a government-to-government level but were instead broadcast through the media as well.

Now that a military operation is in full swing, US criticism has tapered off for the time being. If we are in this together for the long haul, Washington would do well to show patience and hold its verbal fire. Dawn