Apr. 27 – The Taliban have retreated from their positions in Buner, close to Islamabad after the Pakistan Military advised them they were prepared to launch a major offensive against them if they did not retreat from their positions. Meanwhile, the rebel Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka have all but been defeated, with reports of the Tigers’ leader, Vellupillai Prabhakaran, fleeing the island by sea. Alerts along the east India coast have been issued to try and apprehend him.

While these two incidents, one little more than a skirmish, the other the end game to a 30 year civil war may bring India some respite to its borders, neither situation has yet been satisfactorily resolved. It is suspected that the Taliban are regrouping, and their incursion so far into Pakistan was a show of strength; more trouble can be expected from them as the Pakistani government tries to assert authority. The Tamil Tigers however, while defeated militarily, have not been defeated politically. The end to the war is likely to spread to underground terrorist activities while the Tamils continue to feel disenfranchised.

For now, with the United Nations likely to be involved in brokering some sort of political agreement between Sri Lanka and India over the Tamil issue, and the United States. keenly aware of the security situation in Pakistan, things appear to have simmered down somewhat. However, if strong government and politicians cannot find a solution to either problem; these conflicts are unlikely to go away permanently any time soon.