Hallo? Taliban Calling

"We are killing the people which are only no good for society, like thieves and people who are making problem for the poor people, like people who are working for army," he said. "We are only killing these people." - Muslim Khan, Taliban spokesman as quoted by CNN

"Beheading innocent people and kidnapping are in no way condoned in Islam." - Sahibzada Fazal Karim, leader of Jamiat-e-ulema-e-Pakistan

While a Taliban spokesman busies himself by using his cell phone to call media outlets and give interviews, nearly one million internally displaced persons have massed on the Pakistan - Afghanistan border. Barack Obama is keeping his campaign promise to pull troops out of Iraq and refocus what was formerly known as the War on Terror.

While almost every story that comes out of the refugee camps is heart-rending, it is nearly impossible to sort-out truth from fiction when it comes to the actual story. In a war for hearts and minds, a good story is a good piece of propaganda.

Richard Holbrooke, the USA special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, said he was not in a position to say how the military offensive in Swat was going because he had not yet received an authentic report from the field.