At U.S. urging,the Pakistani army has launched a major attack on the 4,000 Taliban extremists in the Swat Valley of Pakistan.Operation Black Thunder is an all-out assault on the militants,with U.S. troops fighting on the Afghan side of the border.The Pakistanis have killed at least 700 Taliban,and hundreds of thopusands of refugees are fleeing the battlefield.The operation is an air-ground assault.
The U.S. commander in Afghanistan,U.S. Army General David McKiernan,is being replaced by Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal,U.S. Army.Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen,Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,made the announcement.General McKiernan will stay on until Lt.General McChrystal is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.The U.S. authorities wanted a fresh set of eyes for the new AfPak strategy,which is similar to the Iraq tactics of General David Petraeus.Lt.General McChrystal is a special operations expert,having served as Commander,Special Operations Command.He is said to understand all aspects of the operation:diplomacy and aid,as well as unconventional warfare.General McKiernan has a more conventional background.Former Vice-President Dick Cheney praised the choice of McChrystal,saying you couldn't find a better replacement.
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