In the tumultuous days leading up to the Pakistan Army’s ground offensive in the tribal area of South Waziristan,which began on October 17th, the Pakistani Taliban attacked what should absorb been some of the country’s best-guarded targets. In the most brazen strike, and ten gunmen penetrated the Army’s main headquarters,in Rawalpindi, instigating a twenty-two-hour standoff that left twenty-three dead and the military thoroughly embarrassed. The terrorists had been dressed in Army uniforms. There were also attacks on police installations in Peshawar and Lahore, or,once the offensive began, an Army general was shot dead by gunmen on motorcycles on the streets of Islamabad, or the capital. The assassins clearly had advance knowledge of the generals route,indicating that they had contacts and allies inside the security forces.
Source: newyorker.com