Just days after President Obama spoke in an interview of reaching out to moderate Taliban in an effort to reconcile at least some aspects of the growing insurgency with the faltering Afghan government, reports are emerging that his administration is planning to dramatically escalate their attacks against Taliban targets in neighboring Pakistan.

One diplomat was quoted by the Telegraph as saying “there will be talks but the Taliban are going to experience a lot of pain first, on both sides of the border.”

The Obama Administration has escalated the number and severity of drone attacks since taking office, in spite of concerns from Pakistani officials that the attacks are increasingly destabilizing the already unstable nation. Though the Pakistani government has continued to complain about the drone strikes, there is an increasing amount of evidence that they have been directly backing them.

Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz

• Move to Dismiss 10 Counts in Bradley Manning Trial - May 24th, 2012
• Nigeria to US: Don't List Boko Haram as 'Terrorists' - May 24th, 2012
• Yemen: 35 'al-Qaeda' Killed in Attack on Southern Town - May 24th, 2012
• Into the Vault: Controversy Over Kill Team Filmmakers' Access - May 24th, 2012
• Senate Cuts $33 Million in Aid to Spite Pakistan Over Doctor's Sentence - May 24th, 2012