ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Pakistani military officials say the country's recent devastating floods have delayed and interrupted the offensive against the Taliban.
At one point, about 72,000 government soldiers were being deployed for flood relief, either directly or safeguarding U.S. helicopters, The New York Times reported. While Major Gen. Athar Abbas, a spokesman for the Pakistani military, said most of the troops involved in the battle against insurgents in the northwest remained there, he said the Army has been stretched thin, flooding has cut supply lines, and equipment, including helicopters, has been diverted.