Pakistani army troops patrol on the vicinity of a food distribution center for displaced people, who fled from South Waziristan due to military offensive, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan. Pakistan's 12-day-old offensive in the Taliban and al-Qaida stronghold of South Waziristan is considered its most critical test yet in the campaign to stop the spread of violent extremism in the this nuclear-armed country.
(THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Anjum Naveed)