Volunteer Militias Push Back Taliban -- CNN
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Sixteen-year-old Akbar Zaid dreams of becoming a teacher. But for now, his summer job involves holding an automatic rifle and hunting down Taliban fighters.
Zaid is among hundreds of villagers in northwest Pakistan who've volunteered to join private militias, called lashkars. These groups have vowed to help Pakistan's military in fighting the Taliban.
"I'm doing it for peace," Zaid said, right before he fired several shots in the air with his rifle.
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My Comment: In the past few months there has been improvement in certain regions of Pakistan. It appears that civilian and local militias are proving to be more effective than the military in combating the Taliban. I just wish it was also happening on the Afghan side of the border.