The counterterrorism operation in Chechnya was instituted in 1999, when Russia sent troops for the second time since the collapse of the Soviet Union to put down a local separatist movement.

VOA: standard.2009.04.16

Officials say the deals have shown to the Pakistani public that while the government has honored its commitment to militant demands for Islamic courts in Malakand, the militants still have not put down their weapons or halted their expansion beyond the Swat valley.

VOA: standard.2009.04.27