Pakistan Tactics

Fires burn in the Swat Valley where the Pakistani army has nearly completed its mission, but is faced with the challenge of preventing militants from returning. The mountaneous terrain makes the job more difficult.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Pakistani soldiers will be faced with the task of preventing the return of militants after major operations are completed.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Pakistani soldiers leave an outpost in the town of Khwazakhela from where they fired mortars to clear the way for the army’s advance.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Policeman Imtiaz Ahmed, 23, shot at a suicide bomber as he tried to enter a building in Islamabad, Pakistan. Two or three police officers were killed in the bombing, but many more were saved due to Imtiaz’s efforts.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Several Pakistani soldiers have been killed in a recent operation to clear the Taliban from the North-West Frontier Province. A soldier’s body is prepared for the flight home.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Blindfolded Taliban fighters and other suspected militants await interrogation and transfer at a military base in the town of Khwazakhela, Swat Valley. The Pakistani army said the men include confirmed hardcore Taliban fighters along with others suspected of involvement in making bombs or accused of harboring terrorists. Some militants cut off their beards recently in an attempt to blend into the civilian population.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

At the central jail in the town of Khwazakhela, Swat Valley, dozens of suspected Taliban fighters and accomplices are being detained. The jail used to be under the control of the Taliban.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

The Punjab University music department is now housed in the basement of a building off campus after militant groups threatened the department. The cultural society of Lahore and other cities of Pakistan have fallen victim to the rise in Islamic extremism. Concerts and art shows rarely take place for reasons that include fear of being targeted by suicide bombers.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Two students of the Punjab University music department practice the keyboard in the basement of a building off campus.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

The cultural society of Lahore and other cities in Pakistan have fallen victim to the rise in Islamic extremism. Concerts and art shows rarely take place for reasons that include fear of being targeted by suicide bombers.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

LAHORE, PAKISTAN--June 19, 2009--At the Hamail Art Gallery in Lahore, a security guard keeps watch at the front door. The cultural society of Lahore, and other cities of Pakistan, has fallen victim to the rise in Islamic extremism.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Lahore and other Pakistan cities have fallen victim to the rise in Islamic extremism. Concerts and art shows rarely take place for reasons that include fear of being targeted by suicide bombers.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

At the Lahore Zoo, the largest zoo in Pakistan, the animals are suffering due to corruption and scandals. Attendance at the zoo is still high, but very little of the proceeds goes toward improving conditions for the animals. There are no animal hospital facilities or even an X-ray machine at the zoo.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

At the Lahore Zoo, the largest zoo in Pakistan, the animals are suffering due to corruption and scandals. In the puma cage, one has an eye injury that is not being treated. There are no animal hospital facilities at the zoo.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)