As the fighting between the Taliban and the military in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal agency nears the end of its fifth day, the Pakistani military has halted attacks in the town of Mir Ali in order to allow civilians to bury the dead. Raids and airstrikes have been reported in the Mosaki, Hurmiz, Asokhel, and Hyder Khel. Multiple reports indicate the Pakistani government is seeking a negotiated end to the fighting. The Pakistani air force conducted bombing runs in Mir Ali and the surrounding areas in an attempt to strike at Taliban and al Qaeda positions. The fighting in Mir Ali on October 9 alone has been reported to have killed 72 Pakistanis, many of them civilian. Fifteen Taliban were reported killed in Hurmiz, Asokhel, and Hyder Khel today, while the Pakistani government has officially claimed 47 troops have been killed in the five-day battle, though reports of higher casualties exist. The decision to use air power against the Taliban was borne out of frustration over the pounding the military has taken in North Waziristan. “Over the past few months soldiers and paramilitary troops have been targeted by suicide bombers, blown up by roadside bombs, kidnapped and had their throats slit,” Reuters reported. “Militants in South Waziristan humiliated the army by taking captive about 250 soldiers in late August.” Scores of soldiers and police have been captured in separate engagements throughout the Northwest Frontier Province.