In the Pakistani mountains of Waziristan, young jihadis wait for martyrdom

In the mountains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, a massive battle looms.

Thousands of Pakistani soldiers are waiting for orders to launch an offensive that could change the course of their country's bloody struggle against the Taliban.

The operation is an attempt to end Pakistan's escalating terrorist violence, which last week alone saw 50 people killed in a carbomb that ripped through a marketplace. A brazen attack yesterday on the army's headquarters also left six soldiers dead.

The army's target is South Waziristan, a lawless tribal region. It is the headquarters of the jihad against Islamabad's rulers and a key training ground for fighters in the war against British and American troops across the frontier.

Waiting to do battle with government soldiers is an army of 10,000 local fighters, along with thousands of foreign jihadists allied to al-Qaeda, for which the area has long been a refuge - possibly even for Osama bin Laden himself.

All summer American officials have urged the Pakistan to launch a knockout blow. US officials believe the Taliban has been on the ropes since they were driven out of the valley of Swat, further north, last May, and now is the time to strike.

The government offensive is not guaranteed success, however. Last week reporter Arif Janjua travelled into the heart of the Taliban stronghold to meet the jihadists who are keenly waiting to embrace martyrdom.