The Taliban continued their war on Pakistan’s civilian government last weekend by beheading to Pakistani officials in the Swat Valley, Reuters reports.

The two men were killed in retaliation for the killing of two Taliban commanders by Pakistani security forces.

Swat is the area the Taliban control. Islamabad basically surrendered it to the extremist group in February of this year, when it agreed to make Sharia the official law of the region.

The two government officials were kidnapped and beheaded on Saturday evening in Khuwaza Kheil, a village 18 km (10 miles) north of the valley’s main town of Mingora, said town police chief Danishwar Khan.

U.S. officials say that deaths caused by terrorism rose by as much as 70% last year compared to 2007.

The army launched an offensive to clear militants from the Dir and Buner districts after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused the government of abdicating to the Taliban.

More than 170 militants have been killed since the offensive was launched on April 26, according to the military. There has been no independent confirmation of the military’s casualty reports.

The report illustrates the need for decisive Pakistani action. Something has to happen. The Taliban have become too strong and especially too bold. They think they can get away with everything, for a large part due to Islamabad’s inability to deal with them forcefully.