Pakistani soldiers captured the home town of the country's Taliban chief yesterday. The symbolic prize came as the army pushed deeper into a militant stronghold on the Afghan border. A spokesman claimed the Taliban were in disarray, with many deserting the ranks. The eight-day-old air and ground offensive in the south Waziristan tribal region is a key test of nucleararmed Pakistan's campaign against Islamist militancy. It has already sparked a civilian exodus and deadly retaliatory attacks. The US has encouraged the operation in the region in north-west Pakistan because many militants there are believed to shelter al-Qaeda leaders and are suspected of being involved in attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan.
