Pakistan

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Insurgents Join Forces in Pakistani Heartland

Country's fate tied to stability of Punjab, officials say

(Newser) - The Taliban is joining forces with local militant groups in the key province of Punjab, where more than half of Pakistanis live, the New York Times reports. Officials say the alliance is a major threat to national and regional stability, and was responsible for last month’s cricket-team attack, among...

Afghan Officials in Cahoots With Taliban: Leader

Thousands will replace me if I die: Haqqani

(Newser) - Afghan intelligence agencies have been tipping off militants to US and NATO movements, a Taliban leader told NBC News during a secret interview near Pakistan’s tribal areas—where his role in setting up al-Qaeda safe havens has moved the US to put a $5 million bounty on his head....

20 Dead in Pakistan Mosque Blast
20 Dead in Pakistan
Mosque Blast
Apr 5, 2009 6:38 AM CDT

20 Dead in Pakistan Mosque Blast

Suicide bomber strikes annual religious event

(Newser) - At least 20 people were killed in a suicide bombing early this morning at a Pakistani mosque, reports CNN. The blast tore through a crowd at the mosque's front gate as worshipers gathered for an annual event in the Punjab province. Sectarian violence has been mounting in the Punjab in...

Pakistan Squirms Over Public Flogging

Video shows woman being beaten in militant-controlled area

(Newser) - Authorities in Pakistan today ordered an investigation into a video showing a 17-year-old woman, accused of having sex, being publicly flogged in the country’s Swat Valley. The two-minute video, widely aired on local television today, shows a man whipping a woman lying face down on the ground, pinned by...

Afghan Insurgency Growing Stronger: Petraeus

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus said today that militant insurgents in Afghanistan are growing in strength but will be fought "relentlessly and aggressively" by bolstered American troops. During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, the commander of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan said the United States would take the fight...

Gates Stakes His Claim Under a New President
Gates Stakes His Claim Under a New President
ANALYSIS
Mar 31, 2009 7:40 AM CDT

Gates Stakes His Claim Under a New President

Defense secretary earns Obama's trust on Afghanistan-Pakistan

(Newser) - In 2008, under another president, Robert Gates spent 115 days traveling to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and 23 other countries. But this year, writes the New York Times, the defense secretary has been spending much more time in Washington. Gates, the only holdover from the Bush Cabinet, has slowly secured a...

Taliban Chief Claims Lahore Attack, Vows to Hit US

Mehsud vows he will attack again in Pakistan and US

(Newser) - The head of the Pakistani Taliban and the man accused of masterminding the assassination of Benazir Bhutto has claimed responsibility for yesterday's commando assault on the Lahore police academy and has threatened more attacks, the Times of London reports. Baitullah Mehsud personally called Western news agencies to take credit for...

20 Killed in Siege at Pakistan Police School

Paramilitary forces are locked in gun battle with attackers

(Newser) - Pakistani troops were locked in a fierce firefight today with gunmen who stormed a police academy near Lahore, killing 20 officers. The attackers, armed with automatic rifles and grenades, stormed the academy's morning turnout dressed as police, reports the Times of London. They "opened fire after throwing grenades,"...

Main Threat to Obama's Afghan Plan: Obama's Afghan Plan

Middle-ground strategy on militants not realistic

(Newser) - President Obama could be undermining his own strategy to combat militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan, David Cloud writes for Politico. The strategy—increase the number of US troops but also draw greater support from allies—“keeps the US committed but not too committed,” says Cloud, questioning if the...

Suicide Bomb Kills 48 at Pakistan Mosque

80 injured; locals dig through ruins for survivors

(Newser) - A suicide bombing in a packed northwestern Pakistan mosque killed at least 48 people and injured scores more today, AP reports. The blast badly damaged the mosque in Jamrud, a town near the Afghan border in an area beset by Taliban attacks as well as vicious feuds between rival tribes...

Pakistani, Afghan Taliban Unite Against US

Commanders agree to settle differences to counter US surge

(Newser) - Pakistan's Taliban leaders have pledged to scale back their battle against the government to help their Afghan counterparts fight the US surge, the New York Times reports. The leaders issued a statement promising to settle their internal differences to "bring dishonor on the infidels" after a visit from a...

US Afghan Plan: 4K More Troops, Help From Iran

(Newser) - When President Obama unveils his strategy for Afghanistan tomorrow, he will for the first time ask Iran to help bring peace to the region, Marc Ambinder writes for the Atlantic. Obama may not mention Iran by name, but he will ask neighboring nations to form a group to mediate disputes...

US Pinpoints New Drone Targets in Pakistan

Missile strikes evaluated as part of regional policy review

(Newser) - As the US reviews its controversial air strike program in Pakistan, US and Pakistani intelligence officials are adding new targets to its list, the Wall Street Journal reports. Pakistani officials hope that expanding the drone program to target extremists will win them public support; at the same time, the Obama...

Taliban Gets Pakistani Aid for Afghan Fight

(Newser) - It's no great secret that Pakistan's spy agency has long lent a helping hand to the Taliban, but the scale of that aid appears to be larger and more diverse than thought, the New York Times reports. The secretive ISI provides money, supplies, and help with strategic planning to the...

US Maneuvers to Name Afghan Prime Minister

Part of America's 'exit strategy'

(Newser) - The US is planning to place a prime minister in the Afghanistan government to bypass corruption-tainted President Hamid Karzai, reports the Guardian. American authorities, backed by European allies, also plan to divert money to the provinces away from Karzai control. US officials have grown increasingly disillusioned with the current government...

US Strikes in Pakistan Have Hammered al-Qaeda: Officials

9 militant leaders killed in six months

(Newser) - Some six months of US missile strikes in Pakistan are rocking al-Qaeda, sparking violent infighting among militants, the Los Angeles Times reports. The frequency of attacks was upped last August by the Bush administration when it began launching strikes without Pakistan’s permission. Since then, there have been at least...

'Civilian Surge' Part of New Afghan Plan

Hundreds of diplomats may be sent along with troops

(Newser) - President Obama’s new Afghanistan policy may include stationing more diplomats and civilians there, officials tell the Washington Post. Obama’s national security advisers are expected to present a plan next week that would send hundreds of government officials from departments like Agriculture and Justice, along with temps yet to...

Activist Pakistani Gang-Rape Victim Marries

Unusual for victims of rape, who are heavily stigmatized

(Newser) - A Pakistani gang-rape victim who shunned custom and rose to global fame by speaking out about her case has defied another local taboo—she just got married. Rape victims in Pakistan face severe social stigma and diminished marriage prospects, prompting many to commit suicide. But Mukhtar Mai went public and...

US May Strike Deeper Into Pakistan

Drones may target Taliban sanctuaries beyond tribal areas

(Newser) - The Obama administration is considering expanding its covert war in Pakistan beyond tribal areas to strike Taliban havens in regions under the central government's control, reports the New York Times. US commanders believe the Taliban, under the leadership of Mullah Omar, is operating out of sanctuaries in Baluchistan—which borders...

Judge's Restoration Is Cause for Joy, Hope in Pakistan

(Newser) - Pakistan’s chief justice has been reinstated, inspiring not only celebration but renewed hope among that country’s citizens, the New York Times reports. Happy lawyers—central to the popular effort—and others camped out on the lawn of Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s home today, but his victory is seen...

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