Have The Taliban Retreated From Buner in Pakistan? Is Islamabad Safe?

I tell you what folks...the confusion coming out of Pakistan is at an all time high with the latest reports that the Taliban commander whose jihadis had taken over the Buner district, just 60 miles from the nation's capital of Islamabad, has ordered all of his Taliwhackers out of Buner. I've seen some ridiculous news reports that Hillary Clinton's strong words put the fear of you know what into the Taliban and if you believe that, I've got some oceanfront property bordering Harry Reid's place in Nevada. I'm putting up some excerpts here from a story out of Yahoo News that does a good job of outlining the withdrawl of the Taliban - I'm not convinced they are completely out of Buner but what does make sense is that the Taliban got something pretty valuable out of any negotiations for this and we have to realize, the Taliban will simply go back in the minute they want more, or decide the time is right to try and take Islamabad. Here's the excerpts:

A Pakistani Taliban commander withdrew his fighters from a key northwestern valley on Friday, amid growing alarm in the United States that the Taliban were creeping closer to the capital of nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Fears for Pakistan's stability have heightened in the past week after the Taliban took control of Buner, a valley just 100 km (60 miles) and less than five hours drive from Islamabad.
The order for the Taliban's retreat from Buner was given by Fazlullah, the Taliban commander in neighboring Swat valley, where the government has already caved in to militants' demands for the imposition of Islamic law.
"Our leader has ordered that Taliban should immediately be called back from Buner," Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan told Reuters. He said there were only around 100 fighters in Buner.
Government and Taliban representatives went to Buner, along with Maulana Sufi Mohammad, a radical Muslim cleric who brokered the Swat deal, to tell the fighters to vacate the district.

It was unclear whether the withdrawal was in response to a carrot or a stick, and worries abound over whether Pakistan lacks the capacity and intent to fight militancy.
Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani issued a statement aimed at dispelling those doubts and calming a mounting sense of crisis.
The army "will not allow the militants to dictate terms to the government or impose their way of life on the civil society of Pakistan," the statement quoted Kayani as saying.

Let's look again at what the Pakistani Army chief said there....I mean, is this guy for real? This is the guy that is in charge of protecting Pakistan from the Taliban and al Qaeda? Well, General Kayani, the Taliban has been dicatating terms to the Pakistani government for SIX BLOODY MONTHS ! Fool. And last time I checked, there is now sharia law in place in the Swat Valley and if that isn't imposing "their way of life on the civil society of Pakistan" I don't know what is.

Okay, so what is going on here? I think what we are seeing is what has gone on in Afghanistan - it is common knowledge that the Taliban have been within easy striking distance of the the capital there of Kabul as well as Kandahar - it's a game of cat and mouse and the one thing that the Taliban own over every other groups of jihadis in the world is patience. The Taliban in Pakistan are going to create an atmosphere of fear and apprehension in the city of Islamabad...I predict that they will honor this withdrawl (if it is complete) for a brief period of time but then you will see some terror attacks to remind the capital's residents that they are nearby.

Part of their plan will be to wait and see what the government does with troop movements and buildup - the Taliban are smart enough to realize that there is a difference between TAKING Islamabad and HOLDING Islamabad. Either way this goes, it is going to be interesting to see and it definitely is going to end badly....for the Pakistani government and the people of Pakistan.

Pakistani Taliban withdraws from key valley

Kayani's comments, issued after meeting with his commanders, reinforced expectations of an imminent offensive in Swat, analysts said.
The Taliban spokesman was quoted in the past week as saying al Qaeda would be given refuge in lands under Taliban control.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Pakistan's policies in Swat abdicated authority to the Taliban, while Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged Pakistani leaders to act against foes who posed an "existential threat" to the state.
Pakistan's top diplomat in Britain said Clinton was "rather overstretching the issue," adding there was no question of giving in to the militants.
"We will not allow Pakistani territory to be abdicated to anybody. We will fight for every inch...," Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's High Commissioner in London, told Reuters.
He said his personal view was that U.S. President Barack Obama's plan for fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, which broadens the focus to Pakistan, was the "wrong strategy."
"Pakistan is a semi-developed country and Afghanistan is not at all developed. They have never had any rule of law in their country. You can't club the two countries (together)," he said.
The United States and other Western allies need Pakistan's help to defeat al Qaeda and stabilize neighboring Afghanistan.
Germany said the Taliban were still far from the capital and cautioned against getting carried away. Nevertheless, the advance was "worrying," Foreign Ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke said.
LOSING GROUND
Earlier this month the Pakistani parliament forced a reluctant President Asif Ali Zardari to sign a regulation to introduce Islamic sharia law in Swat to pacify the Taliban.
Emboldened, the Taliban moved into Buner from Swat, triggering alarm over their proximity to Islamabad.
News of the Taliban withdrawal from Buner helped extend a rally in the Pakistani share market, which bounced 4 percent on Friday after three days of sharp declines. [nSIN430422] Hitherto, the government has appeared reluctant to sanction the use of force in Swat, but army chief Kayani said the "operational pause, meant to give the reconciliatory forces a chance," should not be interpreted as a concession to the militants.
The military is confronted across the northwest by a Taliban presence that is threatening to spread into Punjab province and the heart of the country.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani asked parliament to show "moral courage" to stop the Taliban, while rebuffing concerns that Pakistan's nuclear weapons were at risk.