Mehsud Is Alive, Says Fellow Commander

(NEWSER) - Potentially big news out of Pakistan: A US drone may have killed Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, reports Reuters. "There is reason to believe that reports of his death may be true, but it can't be confirmed at this time," said an anonymous US official. Mehsud is an al-Qaeda ally and a top target of American forces. Among other things, he's accused of orchestrating the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. 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»

Washington weighs withdrawal, other options

(NEWSER) - The big question in Washington: Now that Osama bin Laden is dead, what do we do about Afghanistan? Senators John Kerry, a Democrat, and Richard Lugar, a Republican, both said yesterday that we must reassess the nearly decade-old conflict and work toward, as Kerry said, "the smallest footprint necessary." But Pentagon officials argue that rather than withdraw American troops, the US should try to make further gains and apply more pressure on the Taliban, setting the stage for what's sure to be a heated debate. More»

Osama was expected at Taliban, al-Qaeda rally in Afghanistan

(NEWSER) - Four years ago, the US believed it had a chance to capture or kill Osama bin Laden: Militants would be gathering in the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan for suicide attack training, and there were whispers that bin Laden would attend. A secret raid on the site resulted in the death of dozens of militants—but the al-Qaeda leader wasn't there, the New York Times reports. Senior aides to George Bush describe a scene of intense disappointment at the White House, as the administration saw its last chance to nab bin Laden evaporate. “We thought we had ‘No. 1’ on this side of the border,” in Afghanistan rather than Pakistan, said a US officer. “It was the best intelligence we’d had on him in a long time.” More»

White House cites 'fragile' gains in region

(NEWSER) - The US is “setting conditions” to begin an Afghanistan troop withdrawal in July as planned, says a White House report. While President Obama’s strategy in the region is “showing progress,” the document says, “the challenge remains to make our gains durable and sustainable,” the Washington Post reports. Taliban gains have been “arrested in much of the country and reversed in some key areas,” but progress remains “fragile and reversible.” More»