Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
« Back to the grid | Next story »

Pakistan's Strife Grows as New Gov't Waits in the Wings

Posted Mar 16, 08 12:43 PM CDT in World 

(Newser) – A series of airstrikes on a Pakistan compound believed to be sheltering Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters killed at least 16 today, AFP reports, a day before the country's incoming government is to be sworn in. The declining security comes after a bomb exploded last night in an Islamabad restaurant crowded with foreigners, killing at least one person and wounding 11 others, including five Americans. 

The restaurant attack is is the first aimed at the international community in more than a year, the New York Times reports. Both Western and Pakistani officials say it marks the escalating insurgency by al-Qaeda and the Taliban. In the last three months, more than a dozen suicide bombings have targeted the Pakistani government.

Sources AFP, New York Times

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Red Cross: Pakistan Now a War Zone

    Oct 3, 08 6:12 AM CDT
    Red Cross: Pakistan Now a War Zone Pakistan's escalating confrontation with the Taliban has plunged the country into full-scale war, the New York Times reports. A quarter of a million people have fled the fighting as the Pakistani army attacks the militants in tribal areas on at least three fronts, and 20,000 have flooded in desperation over the border into Afghanistan. "This is now a war zone," warned a Red Cross spokesman.
    More »

  • Toll Hits 70 in Pakistan Bombings

    Aug 22, 08 5:07 AM CDT
    Toll Hits 70 in Pakistan Bombings The death toll in yesterday's twin suicide blasts in Pakistan has risen to 70 people as the tragedy continues to rattle the civilian government just days after the ouster of President Pervez Musharraf, the New York Times reports. Pakistan's Taliban has claimed responsibility for the bombings at the gates of the country's main weapons complex, and warned of more to come if the government fails to cease operations against militants in the country's tribal areas.
    More »

  • Musharraf's Exit Leaves Alarming Power Vacuum

    Aug 19, 08 4:46 AM CDT
    Musharraf's Exit Leaves Alarming Power Vacuum Pervez Musharraf was once Washington's most important ally in the Muslim world, but the general-turned-civilian president of Pakistan had become an increasingly unreliable partner in the combat against Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents, writes the New York Times. Now that Musharraf has resigned, the US will have to work with Pakistan's squabbling, distracted coalition government, which has shown even less interest in fighting the rebels.
    More »

  • CIA Confronts Pakistan Over Militant Ties

    Jul 30, 08 2:11 AM CDT
    CIA Confronts Pakistan Over Militant Ties The CIA has confronted Pakistani officials with evidence of links between the nation's spy agency and Islamic insurgents, the New York Times reports. A top CIA official flew to Pakistan for a tense secret meeting earlier this month with information about ties to al-Qaeda-affiliated militants in the border region believed to be responsible for deadly attacks in Afghanistan.
    More »

  • US Steps Up Secret Pakistan Air Strikes

    Mar 27, 08 6:09 AM CDT
    US Steps Up Secret Pakistan Air Strikes The US is stepping up air strikes on suspected al-Qaeda strongholds in Pakistan, the Washington Post reports. The Predator bombings—which neither the US or Pakistan will officially confirm—aim to rattle terror leaders out of hiding before the country's new leaders are expected to demand the US scale back its operations. The "shake the tree" strategy has reportedly killed 45 foreign fighters. More »

Pakistani security officials arrive to examine the site of the bomb explosion.   (AP Photo)
Pakistani police officers are seen next to the site of a bomb explosion in Islamabad, Pakistan Saturday, March 15, 2008. A bomb exploded among diners in the garden of an Italian restaurant in Pakistan's...   (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Injured foreign nationals wait for ambulances at the site of bomb explosion in Islamabad, Pakistan yesterday.   (AP Photo)
Pakistani security officials are seen at the site of Saturday's bomb explosion in Islamabad, Pakistan Sunday, March 16, 2008.   (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Pakistan volunteers remove a foreigner injured victim at the site of bomb explosion.   (AP Photo)
A Pakistani police officer examines the site of the bomb explosion.   (AP Photo)
Pakistani police stand guard next to the site of a bomb explosion in Islamabad, Pakistan Saturday, March 15, 2008.   (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 4)

Tags

Pakistan • al-Qaeda • Pervez Musharraf • Taliban • bombing • Pakistan militants • extremists • bomb explosion


Loading...

Today's Most Popular

Loading...
SPONSORED NEWS ARCHIVE

THREE KILLED IN PAKISTAN SUICIDE BOMBING (LEAD) (The Hindustan Times)


Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »