On Monday, in Islamabad, Pakistan, government officials agreed to a truce with Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters in the Northwest Frontier known as Swat Valley. Within the truce are provisions for a temporary ceasefire, as well as the acknowledgment of Islamic law (Shariah), as the formal judicial system in the region.

Swat Valley, a region the size of Delaware, is located in northwest Pakistan and has recently become a safe haven and base for Islamic extremists such as Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters.

The truce came about as the result of a series of Pakistani military losses over the course of the past year. The Taliban and other militant groups have consistently defeated Pakistan’s force of 12,000 soldiers with a group of only 3,000 extremists. According to Pakistani officials, the militants now control about 70 percent of the area, which is located a mere 100 miles from Pakistan’s capital.

After consulting with president Asif Ali Zardari, provincial government officials agreed to the truce, which limits Pakistani soldiers to playing a defensive role rather than trying to re-claim the valley, as well as imposing Islamic law on the region.

Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's government information minister, says the truce "is in no way a sign of the state’s weakness.” She claims that the truce is aimed at ending the suffering endured by the region’s population. “The public will of the population of the Swat region is at the center of all efforts, and it should be taken into account while debating the merits of this agreement,” says Rehman.

Now that Swat Valley is under the full control of Islamic extremists, however, there is little that can be done from the provincial government’s standpoint. The local population has suffered floggings as well as the burning of schools.

Since the Obama administration is now in power, and attempting to show its strength in Afghanistan, they have sent an additional 17,000 new soldiers to stop the escalating violence. The new truce comes as a shock to U.S. policy makers. As a standing ally with the U.S in the war on terror, Pakistan has come under fire for aiding and abetting the Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters, who freely cross Pakistan's border with weapons and supplies.

Not surprisingly, U.S. strategists are enraged that the provincial government would concede such a vital area, as well as the well being of the local population, to the militants. While government officials such as Rehman say that the truce is in the best interest of the people, the extremists who now control the area have gone so far as to hang decapitated bodies in full view of the public, and have used suicide bombers to target former political officials.

Recent violence in Afghanistan has skyrocketed, leaving U.S officials to question where Pakistan’s loyalties truly lie. Since Pakistan’s government believes that surrendering the region to extremists such as the Taliban and Al-Qaeda is in the best interest of the people, the question must be asked whether the United States can truly consider Pakistan an ally in the war on terror.

On Monday, in Islamabad, Pakistan, government officials agreed to a truce with militant forces to accept Islamic law, or Shariah, as the official judiciary system in a region known as Swat Valley.

Swat Valley, a region the size of Delaware, is located in northwest Pakistan and has recently become a safe haven and base for Islamic extremists such as Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters.

The new truce came out of a series of Pakistani defeats by Taliban and militant groups who consistently defeated Pakistan’s force of 12,000 soldiers with only 3,000 extremists. According to Pakistani officials, extremists now control about 70 percent of the area located 100 miles from Pakistan’s capital.

After consulting with president Asif Ali Zardari, provincial government officials agreed to the new truce which limits Pakistani soldiers to playing a defensive, role rather than trying to re-claim the area.

Sherry Rehman, the Pakistani government's information minister, said the truce "is in no way a sign of the state’s weakness.” She claims that the truce is aimed at ending the suffering inflicted on the region's population. “The public will of the population of the Swat region is at the center of all efforts, and it should be taken into account while debating the merits of this agreement,” says Rehman.

The people of the Swat Valley, now under full control of Islamic extremists, have suffered floggings as well as terrorism such the burning of schools. These acts have been justified by the codes of Shariah. Local people of Swat Valley contest that the new Shariah codes are not as strict as traditional Islamic Law and that new action had to be taken against the existing corrupt civil courts.

New beliefs about the acceptance of Shariah comes only a year after elections in the region showed overwhelming support for the secular Awami National Party. Since elections took place, however, the situation has changed completely. Suicide bombers and death threats directed at political officials have caused all former authorities to vacate the region, leaving the Taliban and other Islamic extremist groups as the dominant force.

United States correspondents in Pakistan as well as Pakistani legal officials agree that the new truce will lead to further bloodshed. They also believe that Swat Valley will become a rallying point for groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban who seek to further resist U.S involvement in Afghanistan.

“This means you have surrendered to a handful of extremists,” said Athar Minallah, a Pakistani legal leader, as he addressed the government's new peace accord. U.S correspondent Richard C. Holbrooke, a liaison in the region under the Obama administration, agrees. He says that the treaty empowers “(the) enemy which poses direct threats to our leadership, our capitals, and our people”.

While reactions to the truce are mixed, the people of Swat Valley continue to endure the political fray and extremist oppression. The wellbeing of Swat Valley people, as well as the strength of the new truce, is yet to be determined. U.S and Pakistani officials must review and change strategy in order to decide what is the best course of action in the future.