Rare access to Taliban fighters on Pakistan border

(15 Dec 2011) The Associated Press has spent six days with fighters from the Pakistani Taliban near the Afghan border. The Pakistani military claimed that the area had been brought under control after an army offensive two years ago. But the rare trip to South Waziristan revealed the resilience of militants in the north-western tribal areas - some of whom are also battling American soldiers across the border in Afghanistan. It also demonstrated that the insurgents - who once ruled much of South Waziristan from permanent bases with many hundreds of fighters - are now largely a guerrilla force there. South Waziristan was once home to about 500-thousand people but its towns and villages are now mostly empty. The population was told to flee ahead of a major Pakistani army offensive in 2009. The army has declared victory, but most locals haven't returned. They do not believe official statements that their homeland is safe. The Pakistani military remains in South Waziri