Pakistan

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In Afghanistan, We Fight and Die, China Wins

In fact, Beijing comes out ahead whether we stay or go

(Newser) - American and Chinese interests seem to be conveniently aligned in Afghanistan, writes Robert D. Kaplan. By securing the country, NATO forces have allowed China access to vast mineral deposits and trade routes to the Indian Ocean. In turn, Chinese companies employ Afghan workers, stabilizing the economy and hence the nation....

Taliban Chief Cracks Jokes, Vows Revenge
 Taliban Chief Cracks 
 Jokes, Vows Revenge 
Interview
Oct 6, 2009 6:48 AM CDT

Taliban Chief Cracks Jokes, Vows Revenge

Media sitdown dispells rumors Hakimullah Mehsud is dead

(Newser) - Hakimullah Mehsud met with reporters Sunday for the first time since winning control of Pakistan's Taliban, quashing speculation that he had been slain in a succession struggle following his predecessor's death in a US drone attack. Flanked by heavily armed fighters, the new leader sat on a blue blanket, in...

Boosted US Presence Rankles Pakistan

Military fears too many strings are attached to new $7.5 billion in aid

(Newser) - The $7.5 billion aid package to Pakistan recently approved by the Senate appears to have triggered more suspicion than goodwill. Many in Pakistan, especially in the military, object that the conditions tied to the aid—which include keeping the military out of politics—are an unacceptable encroachment on national...

Weak Afghan al-Qaeda Calls Surge Into Question

Whether Taliban will facilitate or shun terror group is up in the air

(Newser) - The principal rationale for the original US invasion of Afghanistan was the elimination of an al-Qaeda safe haven. Almost a decade later, the terrorist group is much diminished there, as well as in Pakistan, prompting serious second thoughts within the administration about ramping up forces in the region. Aides to...

Suicide Bomber Kills 5 at Pakistan UN Office

Terrorist infiltrated World Food Program headquarters

(Newser) - A suicide bomber disguised as a security officer infiltrated UN offices in the Pakistani capital today, killing five people and leaving several others critically injured. Witnesses said the blast at the UN World Food Program, in one of Islamabad's more exclusive neighborhoods, shattered windows and left victims lying in pools...

Pilot, Crew Slug It Out on Air India Plane

Fisticuffs erupt over sex harassment complaint by flight attendant

(Newser) - Pilots and crew members on an Air India jet came to blows mid-flight in an argument about sex harassment. Stunned passengers watched grappling staffers spill out of the cockpit into a galley. The fight erupted when a flight attendant complained about harassment by the pilots en route from Pakistan to...

Musharraf: We Zeroed In on Osama, Then 'Lost Track'

(Newser) - The US and Pakistan were this close to catching Osama bin Laden about 5 years ago, says former President Pervez Musharraf. "Then, suddenly, we lost track." In a question-and-answer forum following a speech in South Dakota, Musharraf said intelligence closed in on the al-Qaeda leader in a "...

Resurgent Militants Could Ignite India-Pakistan War

India braces for fresh attacks that could spark war

(Newser) - The Pakistan-based terror network that organized the slaughter of 163 people in Mumbai last year is still thriving, and security officials on both sides of the border fear it's only a matter of time before operatives attack India again. Lashkar-e-Taiba enjoys broad support within Pakistan, its top leadership remains intact...

Suicide Bombs Kill 16, Wound 150 in Pakistan

(Newser) - Two suicide car bombs killed 16 people and wounded about 150 others in separate attacks in northwestern Pakistan today, just days after the Taliban warned suicide strikes were coming if the military pressed forward with an offensive to rout the insurgents. The bombs were detonated outside a bank affiliated with...

Taliban Widens Afghan Attacks From Pakistan Base

Forces controlled from Pakistan respond nimbly

(Newser) - The Afghan Taliban leadership operating out of Pakistan has surprised the US military by countering its offensive in southern Afghanistan with a shrewd expansion into the north and west of the country. “They’ve outmaneuvered us time and time again,” an intelligence official tells the New York Times....

Obama May Boost Drones Instead of Troops

Shifting focus to Pakistan may avoid increasing forces

(Newser) - The White House is looking at expanding counterterror operations in Pakistan as an alternative to a major military escalation in Afghanistan, two senior officials tell the AP. The military would rely on armed drones that could contain al-Qaeda in a smaller, if more remote, area and keep its leaders from...

NYC Terror Suspect May Have al-Qaeda Ties After All

Zazi admits possible run-ins in Pakistan

(Newser) - The man federal officials are questioning in Denver over a terror plot in New York might in fact have some ties to al-Qaeda, the Times reports. After first denying any connections, Najibullah Zazi has told officials he could have come into contact with extremists in his native Pakistan, and there...

Pakistan Army Likely Behind Widespread Swat Killings

Military says deaths due to locals settling scores

(Newser) - Pakistan’s army took over the Swat Valley two months ago, ending Taliban control of the region—but lately, violence has swept the streets, with hundreds of bodies reportedly strewn about, the New York Times reports. The military says it’s a matter of revenge killings between locals, but human...

Taliban Surrenders in Swat
 Taliban Surrenders in Swat 
Sep 13, 2009 12:26 PM CDT

Taliban Surrenders in Swat

Maulana Fazlullah either surrounded or arrested as Pakistani offensive continues

(Newser) - A Taliban-controlled pirate radio station announced the militant group's surrender in the Swat Valley, after yet another key leader was said to have been arrested by the Pakistani military, the Telegraph reports. Though some reports claim that Maulana Fazlullah is surrounded by Pakistani forces, sources tell the Telegraph that he...

Pakistan Nabs Voice of Taliban in Swat Valley

(Newser) - Pakistani soldiers arrested the spokesman for the Taliban in the Swat Valley and four other commanders, striking the first direct blow against the leadership of the insurgency in the one-time tourist resort. The capture of spokesman Muslim Khan and the others could be a big blow to the Taliban's hopes...

Indian Politician Decries 'Racist' Skin Cream Ads

Lawmaker says whiteners send wrong message to Asians

(Newser) - An Indian lawmaker has lodged formal complaints against several advertisements for skin whitening cream, which she calls “completely racist and highly objectionable.” In one ad, for example, one man tells another that he’s unlucky “because of the color of your face” and hands him a tube...

Surge May Be Only Way to Keep US Safe From al-Qaeda

Remote-controlled strikes won't be enough to stop terrorists, say experts

(Newser) - The idea that al-Qaeda could be prevented from regaining a haven in Afghanistan without having American troops in the country is gaining support as the war drags on, but it's unlikely to work, many counterterrorism experts tell the New York Times. Terrorism can't be destroyed by airstrikes or Special Forces...

Kristol: George Will Is Wrong on Afghanistan

(Newser) - George Will’s call today to pull US troops out of Afghanistan is tantamount to “urging retreat and accepting defeat,” fellow conservative William Kristol blogs in the Washington Post. Will’s idea to focus mostly on offshore operations and airstrikes "doesn't sound much more engaged than US...

US Still Lacks Translators in Vital Languages

Intelligence, military officials often unable to read texts, emails

(Newser) - Nearly eight years have passed since 9/11, but national security agencies remain disturbingly low on translators for crucial dialects, the Washington Times reports. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives email and text-message each other freely in languages the CIA largely ignored before 2001. "I can't explain it,...

Taliban Finally Confirm Mehsud's Death

(Newser) - Weeks after a US drone reportedly took out the Taliban's leader in Pakistan, Baitullah Mehsud's fellow commanders have confirmed his death. Two Taliban officials—including his successor, Hakimullah Mehsud—tell the BBC that their leader actually died Sunday after being critically injured in the airstrike. The development also clears up...

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