SWATTED:

Swat Taliban chief 'near death' (Syed Shoaib Hasan, 7/09/09, BBC News)

The leader of Taliban militants in Pakistan's Swat district has been critically wounded and is close to death, the BBC has learned.

The information about Maulana Fazlullah confirms statements from senior government and security officials.

A former village cleric, he founded the branch of the Taliban movement which eventually took over the Swat valley.