Published on, Sept. 15 -- September 15, 2025 12:48 AM

Twelve soldiers were ambushed in South Waziristan and four more left critically injured in a cowardly ambush on their convoy on Saturday. As expected, the TTP's claim of responsibility was swift, as though daring Pakistan to admit what everyone already knows: the war has never ended and at this rate, it never will. And this was only one episode in a bloody month. In Bannu, militants stormed the FC headquarters, leaving six soldiers dead. Nineteen more were killed in clashes in Bajaur and Lower Dir, which also cost forty-five militants their lives. Mastung added its own grim tally. September is proving to be an endless procession of coffins.

The UN, diplomatic cables, and detailed med...