AND NOW THE GOOD NEWS - AT 4:17 P.M. ET:  It's rare that we get any good news out of Pakistan, and I wouldn't make too much of this, but there has been a victory of sorts.  From The Washington Times:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan | The Taliban on Friday started withdrawing from Buner, a district close to the troubled Swat Valley and about 60 miles from the capital, Islamabad, as Pakistan's top political and military leadership warned of a possible military operation in the region.

The top administrator in the region said the Taliban began withdrawing after successful talks between the district administration and Maulana Sufi Muhammad, the cleric who negotiated a deal with the government for enforcement of an Islamic legal system in the Malakand region.

COMMENT:  There has been much American pressure on the Pakistani government to take action against the Taliban.  It is much too early to say if this one victory has any permanence.  It could just as easily be a tactical withdrawal, with fighters living to fight another day.

April 25, 2009