Pakistani president pervez musharraf's moment oftriumph was brief. Even before his soldiers had overrun the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque-a complex in the heart of the normally sleepy capital of Islamabad that had been occupied by extremists-the retaliations began. Early last week Afghan Taliban and Pakistani tribal militants launched suicide attacks against several Pakistani military convoys. Another bomber walked into a police recruiting center, killing29 in a single gory blast The next day militants launched a classic guerrilla ambush using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades that killed 14 Pakistani soldiers traveling in a convoy. The attacks demonstrated a shocking degree of organization and speed-not to mention strategic cunning. After former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto publicly backed Musharraf's coun-terterror operation against the Red Mosque, yet another suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a group waiting to attend a rally of her Pakistan Peoples Party in Islamabad.
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