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December 1, 2008 10:41:24 AM CST


Waziristan

Waziristan news stories

19 Stories

(Newser) - Missiles launched by the US military struck a village in Pakistan's border region this morning killing at least six people, Pakistani officials told the Guardian . Two missiles were fired by a pilotless drone after it was shot at by tribesmen, reportedly striking the home of a local Taliban commander. The Waziristan region has been an increasing source of tension between the US and Pakistan as American forces have launched cross-border attacks against militants. US officials could not be immediately reached for comment. More »

More about:  Pakistan US military Taliban Waziristan tribal areas air strikes

 US Drone Downed in Pakistan 

Pakistan claims US spy craft crash-landed near Afghan border

(Newser) - The Pakistani military says it has recovered the wreckage of an American spy drone in the tense Afghan border region. Local tribesmen had earlier claimed to have shot the drone down, but Pakistani officials said the wreckage had no bullet holes, and apparently was downed by a malfunction. US officials denied that any drones had been lost, but no other country operates drones in the region, Reuters reports. More »

More about:  Pakistan Waziristan drones spy drones

US Missile Strike
Kills at Least 10 in Pakistan

New fuel for tensions between US and Pakistan


(Newser) - A US missile attack killed at least 10 people today in northwest Pakistan, where many al-Qaeda and Taliban militants are based, Reuters reports. Drones fired missiles at a former government school that housed militants and their families in the latest move in  a heated US-Pakistan disagreement over militants in the border region as Afghanistan’s insurgency grows. Pakistan condemned a US troop assault last week inside its borders, the first since 2001. More »

More about:  Pakistan Afghanistan al-Qaeda Taliban militant Waziristan missile strike

 Bush Ordered 
 Raids Without 
 Pakistan OK 

White House suspicious of Pakistan intelligence ties to militants

(Newser) - President Bush green-lighted orders allowing American special forces to conduct raids inside Pakistan without the approval of the Pakistani government, senior US officials told the New York Times . One raid took place last week and more are expected as the US steps up its actions against al-Qaeda militants—despite the stern objections of Pakistan's military. More »

More about:  Pakistan Afghanistan al-Qaeda US military Asif Ali Zardari Waziristan Afghan border tribal areas

Next Wave of Terrorist Plotters: White Men

Concern grows over US, EU citizens trained in Pakistan

(Newser) - US officials are increasingly worried that the next terror attack could be perpetrated by Americans or citizens of the European Union, MSNBC reports. Three German citizens—two ethnically German—were arrested last week in a plot to destroy a club frequented by US military personnel. The arrests have drawn attention to “the white men of Waziristan,” the extremist haven in Pakistan. More »

More about:  Pakistan al-Qaeda terrorism Taliban 9/11 attacks Waziristan domestic terrorism Tehrik-e-Taliban

 US Ground Forces
 Raid Pakistan Outposts

Angry Pakistan protests first incursion by American commandos

(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. More »

More about:  Pakistan Afghanistan US military Taliban Pakistan militants Waziristan South Waziristan

Pakistan Condemns US Air Strike That Killed 11 Troops

...which were reportedly working with the Taliban

(Newser) - At least 11 Pakistani soldiers and 10 other people were killed today in an ugly border incident that could strain US/Pakistani ties. US fighters reportedly launched an air strike inside Pakistan’s mountainous tribal area, backing up Afghan troops fighting Taliban forces. The matter was complicated, however, because Pakistani troops were apparently fighting alongside the Taliban, the Washington Post reports. More »

More about:  Pakistan Afghanistan Taliban airstrike Waziristan Afghan border Pakistan army Afghan Army

Pakistan Cuts Off Talks With Militant Tribes

US saw increase in groups' activity in Afghanistan during lull

(Newser) - Pakistan is suspending talks with militant tribes along its lawless border with Afghanistan, the Wall Street Journal reports, a move that could bolster relations with the US. Negotiations won’t resume until the warlords agree to new conditions, including an end to activities within Afghanistan, Pakistani officials told the Bush administration. In the meantime, the military will resume operations against the tribes. More »

More about:  Pakistan Bush administration al-Qaeda Taliban Waziristan Baitullah Mehsud tribal areas tribal chiefs

Pakistan's New Leaders
Balk at Giving US Free Rein

Unilateral action against terror targets would be 'counter-productive'

(Newser) - If the US was hoping the new government would give it leeway to strike at al-Qaeda within Pakistan, those hopes were dashed today, as the ruling coalition said such attacks would be “counter-productive.” Pakistan had been a US ally in the war on terror under President Pervez Musharraf, but his hold on power has weakened in recent months, Reuters notes. More »

More about:  Pakistan Taliban Pakistan militants Waziristan US-Pakistan relations Pakistan military

Al-Qaeda Is Still Worst Terrorist Threat: US

Safe havens in Pakistan have helped group recharge

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda remains the terrorist group that most threatens the US, Reuters reports. An annual State Department survey of worldwide terrorist activity, out today, said the group killed 5,400 civilians—50% Muslims—in 2007. Though weaker now than in 2001 due to multilateral anti-terrorism efforts, the group has used the lawless tribal areas of northwest Pakistan to rebuild its strength. More »

More about:  Iraq Pakistan al-Qaeda terrorism War on Terror State Department jihad terrorist attack Islamic extremists Waziristan Islamic terrorism

US Steps Up Secret
Pakistan Air Strikes

Predators hammer al-Qaeda strongholds before Pakistan cracks down

(Newser) - 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 »

More about:  Pakistan al-Qaeda Pervez Musharraf Nawaz Sharif Pakistan militants airstrike Islamic extremists Waziristan Predator

Pakistan's New Leaders Will Open Talks With Militants

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 »

Missile Hits 'al-Qaeda Haven' in Pakistan

10 dead in strike
linked to US

(Newser) - A missile struck a house in South Waziristan, the volatile Pakistani region bordering Afghanistan, killing 10 suspected militants and wounding 7 others. The house was known to be a safe haven for members of al-Qaeda, and most of the casualties are believed to have been Arabs, Reuters reports. A spokesman for Pakistan's military said he had no knowledge of the attack, and a security official said he believe the strike was launched by US forces in Afghanistan. More »

More about:  Pakistan al-Qaeda War on Terror Waziristan Afghan border South Waziristan