US May Strike Deeper Into Pakistan

Forces controlled from Pakistan respond nimbly

(NEWSER) - The Afghan Taliban leadership operating out of Pakistan has surprised the US military by countering its offensive in southern Afghanistan with a shrewd expansion into the north and west of the country. “They’ve outmaneuvered us time and time again,” an intelligence official tells the New York Times. “The Taliban is trying to create trouble elsewhere to alleviate pressure” caused by the southern offensive, the official says. More»

(NEWSER) - The American offensive in southern Afghanistan is sparking serious tensions with Pakistan, the New York Times reports. Pakistani officials fear that the surge will push Taliban militants into its border region, triggering a rise in militancy that it will be ill-equipped to tackle without shifting troops from the Indian border. That's a move totally out of the question for officials who view India as Pakistan's main foe and the Taliban as an enemy who authorities can negotiate with. More»

(NEWSER) - An airstrike in Pakistan’s troubled South Waziristan region, likely orchestrated by the US, has killed about 30 people, the Los Angeles Times reports. The dead are thought to be al-Qaeda or Taliban militants; the attack destroyed the compound of an associate of the Taliban leader suspected in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. It's the deadliest such strike since President Obama took office. More»

Another cop, plus five Taliban militants also indicted

(NEWSER) - It looks more and more like Benazir Bhutto never had a chance that day. A Pakistani court today indicted two police officers in connection with her 2007 assassination in Rawalpindi, including the former police chief of the city. The pair, in charge of the former prime minister's security, had been previously arrested . "They have been charged with conspiracy as well as abetment in the murder," a government prosecutor tells Reuters . More»

China, Iran could gain access to drone parts

(NEWSER) - Pakistani troops battled Taliban fighters over a downed CIA drone today, raising fears that America's enemies may gain access to its military technology. Taliban militants reportedly surrounded the Predator in a tribal region of Pakistan, but were fought off by Pakistani soldiers in a 4-hour battle that left three militants dead and two soldiers injured. The Taliban claimed it had shot down the drone, but the US says it crashed due to a mechanical failure. More»