ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan's Army is declaring victory over the Taliban in part of the country's tribal belt near Afghanistan.

The Army says the military operation in the area is finished, and civilians can return home soon.

The announcement could free the Army to send some troops to other districts where Islamist insurgents have bases that threaten Pakistan and U.S. troops across the border.

The victory also could be fleeting -- since the Army has declared success in other trouble spots in the past, only to see militants regroup.

Pakistan's military pounded the region with airstrikes for months, eventually staging a ground operation as well.
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