Pakistan Begins Offensive Against Taliban

The Pakistan military on Saturday launched a long-awaited attack targeting Taliban positions in the country's south Waziristan region near the Afghan border, amid fast-mounting concerns over a growing number of suicide and bomb attacks coming from the area.

"There is a ground campaign which began before sunrise and is now underway. The military commanders handling this operation have given out precise targets to the troops," said a senior Pakistani government official who spoke to CBS News' Farhan Bokhari on condition of anonymity.

Western diplomats said the operation was likely to be watched closely from Washington where U.S. President Barack Obama is finalizing his strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan.

A military defeat of the Taliban in south Waziristan "will likely weaken them across this region and help the U.S. cause to defeat them ultimately," said one Western diplomat in Islamabad who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity.

However, other Western diplomats warned, the estimated 10,000 Taliban in south Waziristan who will face up to an estimated 30,000 Pakistani soldiers, were likely to fight vigorously, knowing that this battle could be their last chance for the survival of their group.

Earlier in the day, a senior Pakistani official speaking on background told CBS News that the operation could last for up to two months: "Our aim is to run over the ground and seize back control of south Waziristan. Realistically, two months looks like a pretty realistic time table."

The south Waziristan campaign comes after a sharp rise in terrorist attacks across Pakistan in the past two weeks. Pakistani investigators have found close links between the militants involved in an unprecedented attack on the army's general headquarters in Rawalpindi, a large city adjoining Islamabad, and the Taliban in Waziristan.

Other similar episodes have included a brazen armed attack on 3 police offices in Lahore, Pakistan's second largest city.

Pakistani officials have warned that the Taliban themselves or other groups loyal to their cause will likely try to stage more terrorist attacks across Pakistan in the coming days, to dent public support for the military.