Red Cross: Pakistan Now a War Zone

Service for police superintendent targeted

(NEWSER) - At least 35 people were killed and at least 60 injured today when a suicide bomber struck a funeral in northwest Pakistan' near the border with Afghanistan, the AP reports. The funeral in the Swat Valley drew 800 mourners for a police official killed today by a roadside bomb in the region, rife with conflict between authorities and pro-Taliban forces. More»

New coalition will defy US, open negotiations

(NEWSER) - Pakistan's new coalition government says it will negotiate with the militants thought to be behind a wave of recent suicide bombings, the New York Times reports. The change in strategy will alarm US officials, who have recently stepped up strikes on suspected al-Qaeda strongholds using pilotless Predator drones. Pakistanis blame American strikes for the surge in bombings—17 since the beginning of 2008. More»

Bomb targets convoy traveling to school's opening ceremony

(NEWSER) - Three US soldiers were among at least 10 people killed when the Pakistani Taliban targeted the opening ceremony of a girls' school today. At least 70 people, including many schoolgirls, were injured when a roadside blast hit a group traveling in a convoy guarded by a military escort, the BBC reports. The American soldiers were said to have been training Pakistani troops in counterinsurgency. More»

(NEWSER) - Pakistani officials have confirmed the death of Baitullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban leader, in an American drone strike early Wednesday. While there is still no concrete evidence of his death, the country's foreign minister said today that "he has been taken out." One security official told the New York Times that Mehsud has already been buried. Pakistani media are reporting that senior Taliban leaders are meeting to choose his successor. More»

Military's paltry victory gives fighters opening to reclaim stronghold

(NEWSER) - Pakistan is crowing over its victories against militants in the Swat Valley, but the Taliban has simply retreated to fight another day, Jane Perlez and Pir Zubair Shah write in the New York Times. Pakistan, which only controls roads and urban centers, hasn't even killed one Taliban leader. "Most of the Taliban shaved their beards, and they are living here with their families" in refugee camps, a local mayor said. More»