A US missile strike destroyed a house in a North Waziristan village today, killing at least 21 people according to a senior Pakistani official. Of the 21, a local official said 16 of them foreigners. He also added that the house belonged to two Afghan refugees who...
At Least Nine Killed in North Waziristan Drone Strike
Updated 10/1 10:35 PM EST An apparent unmanned US drone attacked a house in North Waziristan last night, killing at least nine and wounding several others. Some reports say that foreign militants are among the dead, and others claim the drone came under fire from the...
Pakistan Appoints New ISI Chief
Lieutenant General Ahmed Shujaa Pasha has been named the new chief of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), the most powerful of its myriad of largely independent spying organizations. He replaced Lieutenant General Nadeem Taj, a Musharraf appointee who...
US and Pakistan: On a Collision Course?
Echoing comments made by Secretary of State Robert Gates last week, CENTCOM commander General David Petraeus has warned that Pakistan must deal with its growing militancy or face a threat to its very existence. Gen. Petraeus was hopeful that Pakistani President Asif...
Pakistan Complains Militants Infiltrating Bajaur from Afghanistan
The Pakistani military's offensive in Bajaur, started in early August, shows no signs of ending. And with the military already claiming 1,000 killed and 2,000 wounded militants in the fighting in the tiny border agency, the supply of militants shows no signs of...
US Struggles to Balance Fear of ‘October Surprise’ with Pakistan Relations
Last week Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, on a visit to Washington DC, warned that he expects another Taliban offensive before winter. The Bush Administration appears to fear strikes in the region as well. The Sunday Telegraph, citing a "senior US...
Bajaur Militant Toll Rises to 1,000 as Offensive Continues
Pakistani military officials said today that around 1,000 militants have been killed and 2,000 injured in Bajaur Agency since its offensive was launched in early August. Major-General Tariq Khan told reporters that 63 troops had also been killed and 212 injured in the...
After Firefight, Pakistan Tells US to Stay Away From Border
One day after a reported five minute exchange of fire between Pakistani and US troops along the Afghan border, Pakistani government spokesman Akram Shaheedi warned the US-led coalition forces "not to violate territorial sovereignty of Pakistan as it is...
Palin’s Foreign Policy Views Emerge
As Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin makes her way around the television interview circuit, it allows us to learn more and more about her foreign policy positions. In her RNC address, she declared victory in Iraq within sight and cautioned against a...
US, Pakistani Troops Trade Fire Across Border
This morning NATO issued a statement saying that Pakistani forces opened fire on two US helicopters near the border between Afghanistan's Khost Province and Pakistan's North Waziristan Agency. A US military spokesman confirmed the incident, and insisted that they did...