Morning Brief: Pakistan begins to fight back

Top Story

The Pakistani military is fighting to retake the Buner district, just a few dozen miles from Islamabad, from Taliban militants. Both air and ground forces were deployed in Tuesday’s assault. Military commanders now claim to have retaken control of the strategic down of Daggar and to have killed 50 Taliban in the fighting.

Pakistan’s redeployment of troops away from the border with India its troubled Northwest comes after heavy U.S. criticism that it was not doing enough to fight the Taliban on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and domestic outrage over the unchecked spread of the Taliban.

The Taliban’s advances into the Pakistani heartland will likely prompt a shift in emphasis in the U.S. Af-Pak strategy toward the “Pak.”

Americas

• Mexico City continues to be locked down as residents avoid human contact in order to prevent the spread of swine flu. The U.S. confirmed its first death from swine flu.
• On his 100th day in office, President Obama will meet with defecting senator Arlen Specter and hold a primetime news conference.
• Iran’s defense minister is visiting Venezuela to talk about strengthening military ties between the countries.

Asia

• North Korea has promised more nuclear tests unless the U.N. apologizes for condemning its missile launch in April.
• The French and British foreign ministers called on Sri Lanka to adopt a humanitarian ceasefire with the Tamil Tigers, in order to let civilians leave the area of fighting.
• The U.S. military says 32 militants have been killed in clashes with U.S. and Afghan troops in Southern Afghanistan.

Europe

• Germany and Austria are the latest countries to report swine flu infections.
• Britain charged three men with helping plan the 2005 London terrorist attacks.
• In a sign of more gloom ahead for Eastern Europe, Lithuania’s GDP fell 12.6 percent in the first quarter of this year.

Africa

• Indicted war criminal Bosco Ntaganda has been working with the U.N. mission in Congo. 
• A Russian warship seized a boat carrying 29 suspected pirates off the Somali coast.
• Madagascar now has two governments after supporters of ousted leader Marc Ravalomanana declared one.

Middle East

• A U.N. tribunal will rule today on the case of four Lebanese generals accused of plotting the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
• A senior Saudi prince has called for sweeping political reforms in the kingdom.
• Property prices in former boomtown Dubai fell 41 percent in the first quarter.

TARIQ MAHMOOD/AFP/Getty Images