Tahir Ali's exclusive account for rediff.com from South Waziristan where the Pakistan Army and the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan are engaged in a 'decisive war'.
Tahir Ali profiles the Amjad Farooqi and Ilyas Kashmiri groups, responsible for the recent surge of terrorism in Pakistan.
The American soldiers who were killed in a blast in Pakistan's Lower Dir district on Wednesday were members of the United States Army's Special Forces, which has been training the (paramilitary) Frontier Corps to fight against the Al Qaeda and the Taliban.The slain troopers were part of a 100-member strong military training unit, which was involved in training a paramilitary commando unit of over 1000 men, to carry out operations against Al Qaeda and Taliban militants.
Saturday's audacious attack by Taliban militants in Rawalpindi has shocked the Pakistani establishment and society.
India's opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan looked visibly upset, venting out his anger on reserved opener KL Rahul on day 3 of the 4th Test at Feroz Shah Kotla ground in New Delhi. Birthday boy Dhawan played an important hand before lunch. The incident unfolded when Dhawan was hit on the forearm by a rising delivery from Imran Tahir.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, in an exclusive interview to rediff.com's Tahir Ali, has said that the increase in American troops will only provide the Taliban with more opportunities to attack. It has also claimed that the Pakistani Army's operations have done no damage to its strength and that it is as strong as it was earlier.
Australia swashbuckling batsman Aaron Finch has called on his side to play 'smarter' cricket when facing spinners, following their three-wicket loss to South Africa in the opening Twenty20 of the three-match series in Durban.
India pacer Mohammad Shami has once again become a victim of social media trolling after he posted pictures of his wife during their daughter's second birthday celebrations.
Advancing into the Super 10 stage for the first time in three attempts, minnows Afghanistan will face a formidable challenge when they clash with South Africa in the ICC World Twenty 20 Championship at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
CSK will be brimming with confidence having defeated the Royals earlier in the season
The judge asked the concerned deputy commissioner of police (DCP) to monitor the probe to ensure fair investigation as police have failed to point out what investigation has been carried out so far regarding the involvement of the rival faction.
RCB to ring in changes against KKR in search of first win
Having won the series, India would like to carry on momentum forward, especially with the three-match T20I series to follow soon after. Yet, the visitors would also like to find a balance between going all out in a dead rubber and resting a few players keeping in mind a long overseas schedule later this year.
JP Duminy has been named in the South African Twenty20 squad for the three-match home series against West Indies next month, but a number of other top players will again be rested.
India will look to crush a South African revival before it becomes a threat to their pursuit of a maiden ODI series triumph here when the two sides clash in the fifth one-dayer, on Tuesday.
Chris Morris' brilliant unbeaten knock of 82 went in vain as Gujarat Lions held their nerves to pull off a thrilling one-run win over Delhi Daredevils in an Indian Premier League match.
Captain Virat Kohli roared back to form with a scintillating unbeaten 83 as India further consolidated their position with whopping overall lead of 403 runs at stumps on Day 3 of the fourth and final Test against South Africa at the Feroz Shah Kotla, in Delhi, on Saturday.
After his killing, the Taliban Shura (the supreme council of the Taliban) has convened meetings to elect the new TTP chief. There are three candidates in the running -- Hakimullah Mehsud, Azmatullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman Mehsud.
Yoginder Sikand partakes in an ostentatious Kashmiri wedding.
South Africa have included the world's number one test bowler Vernon Philander in their preliminary 30-man squad for the World Twenty20 tournament to be played in Bangladesh in March and April next year.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday inaugurated five 'Pakistan-China Friendship Tunnels' built at the cost of about USD 275 million (approximately Rs 1,800 crore) to restore a strategic road link to China via Gilgit-Baltistan.
India failed to make the best of first use of the wicket, their batsmen capitulating against both pace and spin as they were dismissed for 215 in the first innings in the third Test against South Africa at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium, in Nagpur, on Wednesday. However, the hosts hit back immediately, claiming two early scalps, leaving the Proteas reeling on 11 for 2 after nine overs at the end of Day 1.
A proposal for making registration mandatory for all marriages, including those among Muslims, is under consideration of the Law Commission. The proposal, prepared by Commission member Tahir Mahmood, suggests enactment of a central law making registration mandatory for all marriages in the country.
Pakistan's Shahid Afridi, on Monday, criticised the national selectors for resting six senior players, including skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, for the upcoming ODI series against Australia, saying a good outing would have boosted their confidence ahead of the World Cup.
Photos from Day 2 of the fourth Test played at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi on Friday
Off-spinner R Ashwin, who has been phenomenal in home conditions, has made it to the Test team as the 12th man, while pacer Mohammed Shami has been included in the ODI team.
A hat-trick in international cricket is no mean feat. And when you are not one of the frontline bowlers in the team, to grab hold of three wickets in as many deliveries is not only a personal achievement but gives the team a huge fillip; after all, as a backup bowler expected to bowl till you get hit, a hat-trick is probably something totally unexpected.
Rising Pune Supergiant skipper Steve Smith on Thursday came out in support of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has struggled for runs in the first three games of this year's Indian Premier League.
All-rounder JP Duminy claimed a hat-trick as South Africa stormed into the World Cup semi-finals with a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Sri Lanka at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and fiery cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri have been booked under the anti-terrorist act for attempting to attack Pakistan's parliament.
The top posts on social media from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
South African captain Graeme Smith is reportedly unhappy with Cricket South Africa's (CSA) announcement of player contracts as it has been difficult for some of the players to handle.
With Delhi Daredevils surprising one and all with their consistent show in IPL-9, West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite said they now have a 'fun dressing room' and it is helping them play well this year.
Eleven more deaths were reported on Thursday, taking the total death toll to 38, a senior Delhi Health Department official told PTI.
South Africa went through several anxious moments before their bowlers clinched a nail-biting six-run victory over minnows the Netherlands in their World Twenty20 match in Chittagong on Thursday.
Shikhar Dhawan has said that the South Africa series will be a challenging one but believed that India remained favourites to win. Dhawan also did not endorse the popular view that this Indian batting line-up is not capable of playing quality spin bowling.
The absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's "comforting" presence in the middle was a void Chennai Super Kings found too difficult to fill, coach Stephen Fleming said after a rare defeat in the ongoing Indian Premier League season.
Former India World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev hopes that the focus is not just on him, but on the entire squad in the upcoming film '83' which narrates the story of the historic 1983 World Cup triumph. In '83', directed by Kabir Khan, features Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev, who led the team to India's first-ever World Cup win against the mighty West Indies.
A steadily improving Delhi Daredevils look all set to challenge the might of title contenders Kolkata Knight Riders when the two teams clash for the second time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match, in New Delhi on Saturday.
