December 2, 2008 7:36:19 PM CST
(Newser) – American commandos raided al-Qaeda encampments inside Pakistan yesterday, the New York Times reports. The US has carried out air strikes in the region before but this is the first acknowledged ground raid inside Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, long suspected of being the hideout of Osama Bin Laden. The commandos were airlifted by helicopter into the troubled South Waziristan tribal area.
Pakistan officials lodged a strong protest with the US government and warned that they reserve the right of “self-defense and retaliation." Pakistan authorities said the raid killed 20 people, including women and children, but failed to kill or capture any senior militants. The raid could signal the start of an aggressive new campaign against al-Qaeda and Taliban militants inside Pakistan, US officials indicated.
Source New York Times
Nov 23, 08 7:35 AM CST Pakistanis are fearful that the US is part of an India-Afghanistan plot to carve up the nation, writes Jane Perlez in the New York Times. Those worries have been fueled by a theoretical map drawn by US neoconservatives featuring a shrunken Pakistan and larger neighbors. “One of the biggest fears is the collaboration between India and Afghanistan to destroy Pakistan,” said a Pakistani insider. “Some feel the United States is colluding in this.” More »
Nov 5, 08 3:10 PM CST A US air strike killed 40 civilians at a wedding party Monday, the Afghan government said today. The US said it was investigating the incident, but would not verify any attack or death toll, the New York Times reports. A Kandahar province official said US forces were fighting with the Taliban in the area, and called in air support, which mistakenly targeted the wedding. More »
Nov 4, 08 8:15 AM CST An Afghan police chief and a local government official aided Taliban militants who killed nine American soldiers, an internal military review has found. The July attack came as American and Afghan forces were constructing a base in the country's remote east, when around 200 fighters descended on the soldiers. The insurgents were only driven off after the Americans called in warplanes, helicopters, and artillery, reports the New York Times. More »
Nov 2, 08 11:30 AM CST As Pakistan’s overtaxed military and police forces wage a desperate battle against the Taliban, vigilantes are striking back at the militants on their own, the New York Times reports. Last August, citizens in a quiet farming valley hunted down and killed the Taliban fighters who murdered six policemen, lining up the bodies like trophies and capturing their work on video. More »
Oct 31, 08 2:51 PM CDT Gen. David Petraeus’ first official trip as head of the US military’s Central Command will be to Pakistan, the Tampa Tribune reports. Petraeus was sworn in today at MacDill Air Force base, in Tampa, taking over from Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey. Petraeus’ new responsibilities at Centralcom include planning in 80 countries from Egypt to Kazakhstan, including Iraq, Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. More »
What you’re seeing is perhaps a stepping up of activity against militants in sanctuaries in the tribal areas that pose a direct threat to United States forces and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. - A senior American official, spekaing under condition of anonymity
Pakistan • Afghanistan • US military • Taliban • Pakistan militants • Waziristan • South Waziristan
