Welcome to Pakistan's North-West Frontier- remote, inaccessible and home to a revitalised and increasingly brutal Taliban. The nearby city of Peshawar is under constant terrorist attack. 'If the government had changed their policy we would not have attacked Peshawar' says Hakimullah Mehsud, the new face of the Taliban. He is clear that Pakistan will pay a heavy price for siding with the United States. 'We have had to attack Peshawar...and every corner of Pakistan' he declares.

In the forbidden Taliban territory of the NW Frontier, we discover an extensive network of tunnels in Bajaur town. The tunnels made fighting the Taliban 'near impossible' says Major Kammal of the Pakistan army. They allowed the Taliban to 'vanish and resurface anywhere'. But to get a foothold into Bajaur, the army completely destroyed it - killing many civilians and creating sympathy for the Taliban. Mohammed Zahir who fled, tells how his neighbour's grandchild was killed- 'When people see these things, they are more than upset/ they think about becoming suicide bombers' he warns.

Exclusive access reveals the reality of life in Swat, perhaps the first of Pakistan's regions to be given over to the Taliban under the recent cease fire terms. Swat's famous river valleys and orchids have been eclipsed by the rubble of 187 schools, destroyed as a warning against female education. 'We will not go to school again' says one girl brave enough to speak on camera 'our future is very dark'. And each day the dead bodies in the streets reveal the extent of brutality waged by Swat's new overlords as they force the populace to live as so called 'good Muslims'.

Even more worrying is the Taliban's infiltration of Pakistan's biggest cities. The capital Islamabad, is now a 'barricaded city' and in the huge port city of Karachi the slums have become a breeding ground for Taliban recruits. Last month the police busted open a Taliban cell of 35, where they found huge 'stockpiles of weapons and chemicals'.

'We will fight them to the very end' says Hadi Bax, commander of the Karachi police. But his confidence is little more than a brave face. His experiences confirm President Zardari's admission of a life and death struggle with the fundamentalist forces of Pakistan. 'Our future attacks will be fast and severe' says the new Taliban leader 'the Jihad will continue until the day of judgement'. With the democratic state teetering - that day may soon be upon us.

A powerful and eye-opening documentary, which reveals Pakistan as the next, most crucial battleground in the global war against the Islamic extremists.

2013 update: the 'Swat girl' interviewed in this film has now been identified as Malala Yousafzai.

Reporter: Matthew Carney