The start of the operation to rid South Waziristan of Islamist militants is welcome news for the US, Britain and their Nato allies, who have long been urging Pakistan to strike the Taleban and al-Qaeda stronghold.
It could well be the most important military campaign for Pakistan since 2001. The question, though, is whether the army will take on only the militants it considers a threat to Pakistan, or others who target foreign troops in Afghanistan.
Pakistan appears to have learnt the lessons of its retreats after its previous attempts to bring South Waziristan under control.
The army has improved its counter-insurgency capability and amassed a bigger attack force — almost 30,000 troops — than in previous campaigns. Yet even that is not considered overwhelming against an estimated 12,000 heavily armed militants who have had time to build up their defences.
Military commanders fear that the troops could be outnumbered if others in the region come to the assistance of Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taleban.
They have resorted to the time-worn tactic of negotiating truces with militant and tribal leaders in the area, some of whom attack Nato forces in Afghanistan regularly. The most controversial are Mullah Nasir, a Taleban leader in South Waziristan, and Gul Bahadur, a Taleban commander in North Waziristan.
Western officials hope that the army will round on its new allies as soon as it has dealt with the Mehsud forces.
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