A bolder Taliban in Pakistan

A bolder Taliban in Pakistan

They walked casually up to the front door of the Intelligence service building, quite casually by all accounts. Then they started shooting, sparking a gun battle that was repeated across three different locations in the iconic city of Lahore.

Last week, when the Pakistani Taliban stormed into the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, many were surprised at the brazenness of the attack. More were surprised when the army did not act sooner, waiting a full 20 hours before retaking the building.

The attack was written off as a one-time thing. But, apparently, nobody told the Taliban that. Thursday’s attacks in Lahore were a bold statement that said in no uncertain terms, we can and will attack you at your base.

Before the summer, the typical Taliban target was a remote checkpoint in the north west of the country. Often no more than a rickety metal gate used to stop vehicles, the Taliban would mount hit and run harassment raids against these undefended targets.

It would seem the group’s ambitions have grown.

There is a feeling mirrored by analysts and those in the government that a systematic and determined destruction of the Taliban must be carried out to stop the wave of violence.

With a Pakistani army offensive mooted in South Waziristan, the government is hoping that they can significantly degrade the group’s capabilities and stop it from mounting any more attacks. However, it seems that the Taliban remains a resilient and capable guerrilla force, and has ideas of its own.