Pakistan's army says that 18 militants and two soldiers have been killed in the Waziristan area over the past 24 hours. This development takes the insurgent death toll to 78, while 9 soldiers have been killed since the offensive began early on Saturday. Niva Whyman has the details.

The fighting is a test of the government's determination to tackle an increasingly brazen insurgency. The country has seen a string of attacks in recent weeks, in which more than 150 people were killed.

The army aims to wrest control of militant strongholds in a lawless region on the Afghan border. But concerns about a violent reaction from suspected militants on urban targets are growing.

Dr. Sayyed Alam, Analyst on Tribal Areas, said, "The battle is going to be a long battle. They will have to retaliate in terms of attacks on the government buildings, in terms of suicide attacks on innocent people. This action and reaction will be going on unless and until the last terrorist has been eliminated from the area."

Intelligence sources agree that the militants have the capability to reach out into the cities to strike and cause havoc. But the military spokesman said civilian law-enforcement agencies have been geared up to counter such a situation.

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