Wajahat S Khan - Pakistan Correspondent for NBC News

The definition of success will morph over time. The goals of the operation are not clear. What's also not clear are the timelines of the operation.

Commanders on the ground say things are murky. And the fragility of the civilian-military balance between Islamabad and Rawalpindi is always a factor.

The US-Afghan endgame next door must be considered, and there is little clarity about whether this is, in terms of military tactics, the fabled 'hammer and anvil' game with the US and its drones, or something newer, like 'hammer and tongs'.

And lets not forget: where does the Kabul regime, which is in the middle of a tectonic shift, fit into this?

Frankly, this broth is still cooking. But there are guys in NWA who are wanted in Beijing, Washington and other friends and foes in the middle. So the stakes are high. That's why the press is at the fringes.