The Pakistan government is keen to trumpet success as it battles Taliban fighters in the Swat valley. Local residents can now begin to return home, victory is assured, says Islamabad.

But the Taliban could yet thwart the government’s plans. Given the war’s nature, it is very difficult to declare an outright victory, yet an outright victory is what many in Pakistan demand.

Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan reports on shifting public opinion.

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Voters in the Congo Republic (Brazzaville) went to the polls today in elections that were largely boycotted by the opposition. It was widely expected that President Denis Sassou-Nguesso would win another seven year term. Sassou-Nguesso has been in and out of power since a 1979 coup, losing multiparty elections in 1992 before coming back to power in a civil war that destroyed much of the capital in 1997. The president won the last election in 2002, when his main rivals were banned or withdrew, citing irregularities.

Opposition parties had called for Sunday’s vote to be postponed to allow for the creation of a new election commission and the clean-up of voter lists, which were a source of complaints during 2002 polls.

More than 2.2 million people were eligible to vote, the election commission said. Overall Congo-Brazzaville, a former French colony, has some 4 million inhabitants.

Congo is Africa’s fifth-biggest oil producer.

More from the New York Times:

The Congo Republic voted Sunday in an election widely expected to give President Denis Sassou-Nguesso seven more years in power, but turnout appeared low after an opposition boycott.

There were no reports of widespread violence, but scuffles were reported between former militia fighters and soldiers in the volatile Pool region, the scene of fighting during a conflict from 1997 to 2002.

Investors seeking to diversify the economy in the central African country, Africa’s fifth-biggest oil producer, are watching to see whether the vote starts a repeat of the conflict and fights that have marred previous elections and disrupted political and economic stability.

Opposition parties, citing irregularities in voter lists and cards, had called for the vote to be postponed to allow for the creation of a new election commission and the cleanup of voter lists, which were a source of complaints during the 2002 election.

The European Union has also already criticized the lack of progress made here since the voting in 2002.

Few took part in demonstrations called by the opposition in the lead-up to the vote, but there was apathy among many of the 2.2 million eligible voters.

Mr. Sassou-Nguesso, who has attracted large crowds at campaign rallies and told his followers not to fear political violence, voted under a heavy security presence.

He has been in and out of power since a 1979 coup, losing multiparty elections in 1992 before sweeping back into power in a war that destroyed much of the capital, Brazzaville, in 1997. He won the election in 2002, when his main rivals were banned or withdrew, citing irregularities.

“Not much has evolved since 2002 in terms of an administration which does not give clear figures on registration, electoral lists or the process itself,” said Miguel Amadochief of the European Union mission. “We expected more progress from the government.”

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This report from Al Jazeera looks at chain of command issues that ISAF encounter as they also fight the Taliban insurgency.

One unit is based at a remote outpost in Kunar province, where the troops come under frequent attack from Taliban fighters. But fighting back is not easy. There are layers upon layers of bureaucracy the unit has to tackle before a counteroffensive can be launched.

Al Jazeera’s Clayton Swisher reports on the battle being fought on different fronts.

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The Somali Government has retaken full control of the capital city, Mogadishu, after days of fierce fighting. The conflict is becoming increasingly internationalized. In recent months there was been a flow of fighters out of South and Central Asia into the Horn of Africa. In this latest round of fighting, one Afghani national was killed.

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Government officials say they have wrested control of central Mogadishu from anti-government fighters after a day of intense battles in the Somali capital.

At least 11 people were killed in the fighting on Sunday as fighters advanced into northern Mogadishu, close to the presidential palace.

But Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad, the Somali defence minister, said government forces had since regained control.

“We are on the northern outskirts of Mogadishu,” he said.

“We have defeated the enemy and we have pushed them back from all the areas they had captured.

AU Involvement
Witnesses and officials from the interim government said opposition groups advanced so close to the presidential palace that African Union (AU) peacekeepers guarding it were drawn into the fight for the first time.

“Amisom [the peacekeeping force] backed us up in this latest operation because the rebels were only one kilometre to the presidential palace,” an official said.

“We lost three soldiers in battle and the other side left more dead bodies behind. I do not know their exact number.”

The 4,300-strong AU peacekeeping force was visible on the streets on Sunday, but an AU spokesman denied engaging in direct combat.

Major Barigye Bahoku told Al Jazeera that his forces were involved in what he called “a show of force”.

“We have not been engaged [in fighting],” he said.

“We moved around in our convoy, with our equipment. We are not supposed to be confined … rather we are supposed to provide security for all of Mogadishu.

“So we moved in, we showed force and we went back to the base and the government forces are continuing with their work.”

Worst Fighting
Mohamed Sheikh Nor, a journalist in Mogadishu, told Al Jazeera that the fighting was some of the worst in recent days.

“Somali government officials have been requesting the AU peacekeeping force in Somalia, especially in the capital Mogadishu, to be part of the fighting against the opposition fighters.

“But the AU, up until now, has been declining to comment” on why they have not accepted the government’s request, he said.

The peacekeepers – from Burundi and Uganda – generally try to avoid being drawn into the conflict in order to preserve their neutrality.

Their mandate includes the defence of the capital’s port, airport and key government buildings.

Fighters belonging to al-Shabab and other anti-government groups control large areas of southern and central Somalia and have boxed in government troops and the AU force into a few blocks of Mogadishu.

Sharif Ahmed, Somalia’s president, is struggling to take control over the Horn of Africa nation from the fighters bent on overthrowing his Western-backed government.

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