Video: Pakistan mounts assault against insurgents

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   >>> and britain in the attack.

   >>> a new offensive underway in pakistan tonight is closely watched in in country. the target is the al qaeda and taliban stronghold near the afghanistan border. long considered a launching pad for attacks in pakistan and on u.s. forces in the region. the latest from nbc's stephanie goss in islamabad .

   >> reporter: the pitched battle has forced a wave of desperate refugees out. an estimated 150,000 have fled since the offensive was announced. at border towns police are checking i.d.s and searching vehicles, worried that taliban and al qaeda fighters might try to slip out. it's the largest military operation against islamic militants in pakistan ever. 30,000 troops supported by an arsenal of f-16 fighter jets and cobra helicopter gun ships. it's a rugged region near the afghan border. it's long been the primary safe haven to militants, and it's the suspected hiding place of osama bin laden . thousands of fighters are dug in there using caves and tunnels for protection.

   >> so you can get them, if you know where they are. you have to be accurate in your information and timely. because they keep on moving .

   >> reporter: the u.s. has been putting pakistan to crack down on militants within its borders for a long time. not only because of the threat they pose to u.s. forces in the region, but because the very stability of pakistan , a key nuclear armed american ally, is at stake. approximate the follows a week of widespread violence throughout pablg stan. militants killed an estimated 150 people in a wave of well-orchestrated brazen attacks against security installations. islamabad is on red alert . security officials are concerned that the capital could be the taliban 's next target. around the city the number of checkpoints has doubled. almost every car is stopped and searched. with violence on the rise this year, sympathy for islamic militants has slipped.

   >> translator: i think it's a good step. i hope it will eliminate terrorists and help maintain peace.

   >> reporter: success won't be easy. two failed attempts in the past led to short-lived peace deals with the taliban , but this time the military says they will crush them. stephanie goss, nbc news, islamabad .

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