The Taleban has taken over an area of Pakistan just 70 miles from the capital.  Pakistan is sending troops, but not to take on the Taleban but rather as guards.

Officials say the forces will protect government buildings in Buner district, where insurgents have begun patrolling the streets and mounting checkpoints.

As the troops moved into the region, insurgents launched an attack on their convoy, killing at least one soldier.

The Taleban are reported to have moved several hundred men into Buner from the Swat Valley.

The government sent six platoons – up to 300 men – to deal with the insurgents.

The confrontation in Buner comes just weeks after a peace deal was signed by President Asif Ali Zardari allowing the introduction of Islamic law in Swat.

The deal was designed to end a bloody 18-month conflict with the Taleban in Swat by yielding to some of their demands.

But critics say that the militants can now use Swat as a springboard to take over new areas of the country.

The militants’ move into Buner district northwest of the capital comes after Islamabad ceded control of the scenic Swat valley, allowing the Taliban to enforce traditional Islamic law, or sharia, in what was once the jewel of Pakistan’s tourism industry.

But analysts said the deal in Swat, reached after a bloody two-year insurgency, has simply allowed the Taliban to re-group, consolidate and expand control into other regions.

The Taliban takeover in Buner is evidence that the group’s strategy of intimidating police and officials is working because of the fundamental weakness of President Asif Ali Zardari’s government, the analysts said.

Looks as if the Taleban is getting a free ride in Pakistan, the troops are not there to check the advance of the Taleban, but rather to protect government buildings……does that sound at all promising for the US effort against the Taleban?