Pakistan

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Al-Qaeda Boosts Western Recruits

Networks funnel manpower to Pakistan, Afghanistan

(Newser) - An increasing number of Westerners are joining al-Qaeda and the Taliban as the terrorist groups profit from dissatisfaction with the war in Afghanistan and develop sophisticated foreign-recruiting networks. Some 30 German citizens have traveled to Pakistan for training this year, according to authorities. Belgian, French and Swedish nationals have also...

Pakistan Army Launches Assault on Taliban

Military readies all-out offensive on militants' South Waziristan stronghold

(Newser) - More than 30,000 Pakistani soldiers launched a major assault on the Taliban's sanctuary in Waziristan early today, following months of airstrikes intended to soften up militant defenses. Officials have given few details but said the troops are pursuing militants holed up in the region. Civilians have been evacuated from...

New Pakistan Blast Kills 11
 New Pakistan Blast Kills 11 

New Pakistan Blast Kills 11

Peshawar explosion rocks beleaguered nation

(Newser) - The string of deadly bombings in Pakistan continued today as 11 people died in a blast at a police station in Peshawar, the capital of the dangerous North West Frontier Province near the Afghan border. Two of the victims were children. The Taliban are being blamed for two weeks of...

Deadly Wave of Pakistan Attacks Kills 38

Government warns of 'guerrilla war' after blasts in Lahore, northwest

(Newser) - Pakistan erupted in violence today as three teams of militants launched coordinated strikes on law enforcement buildings in Lahore and a suicide car bomber struck a police station in the country's northwest. A few hours later another blast rocked a school in Peshawar, near the Afghan border, killing at least...

Obama Team Downplays Risks in Afghan Pullback
 Obama Team Downplays
 Risks in Afghan Pullback
Pentagon Insiders:

Obama Team Downplays Risks in Afghan Pullback

Al-Qaeda, Taliban much closer than public has been led to believe

(Newser) - US military and intelligence officials see dangerous misrepresentations in the Obama team’s flirting with a limited, anti-al-Qaeda strategy in Afghanistan. “The White House is downplaying the dangers of doing the only thing that they think Congress and the public will support,” an official tells McClatchy. But taking...

New Pakistan Bomb Kills 41
 New Pakistan Bomb Kills 41 

New Pakistan Bomb Kills 41

Fourth terror attack in a week rocks nation

(Newser) - Yet another massive bomb has struck a market in Pakistan, this time killing 41 people. The blast in the Shangla district is the fourth terrorist attack in just over a week. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, carried out before an expected US-backed offensive in the al-Qaeda and...

Clinton: Taliban Threat to Pakistan Is Rising

But secretary, on European tour, sees no danger of nukes falling into terrorist hands

(Newser) - An audacious Taliban attack on Pakistan's army headquarters shows there is a growing terrorist threat to the nuclear-armed US ally, Hillary Clinton said today. The secretary of state, speaking at a joint news conference with British counterpart David Miliband, added that while extremists were "increasingly threatening the authority of...

Pakistan Retakes Army HQ, Frees Hostages

(Newser) - Pakistani commandos freed dozens of hostages held by militants at the army's own headquarters today, ending a bloody, 22-hour drama that embarrassed the nation's military as it plans a new offensive against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. At least 19 people died in the standoff, including three captives and eight of...

Taliban Takes Hostages After Bold Pakistan Attack

Move follows assault on military headquarters

(Newser) - Militants were holding several security officers hostage inside an intelligence wing of Pakistan's army headquarters today after staging an audacious assault on the nation's most powerful institution. At least four militants have between 10 and 15 hostages, says a military spokesman. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack in...

Blast Kills Dozens in Pakistan
 Blast Kills Dozens in Pakistan 
UPDATED

Blast Kills Dozens in Pakistan

Taliban suspected after bomb rips through Peshawar market

(Newser) - A car bomb exploded today in a crowded bazaar in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's troubled North West Frontier Province, leaving at least 41 people dead and more than 100 injured. Many of the victims were in a passing bus that was reduced to a charred frame. Officials were uncertain...

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

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....

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