26 February 2010

Officials: Taliban Leader Killed by Missile Strike, The Washington Post, 25 February 2010

EXCERPT: "A Taliban commander wanted in the deadly 2006 bombing of the U.S. consulate in Karachi was killed in a suspected CIA missile strike in northwest Pakistan, officials said Thursday - the latest blow in a crackdown on militants in the region. Mohammed Qari Zafar was among at least 13 people killed Wednesday when three missiles slammed into...

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26 February 2010

Extradition of Taliban from Pakistan Blocked, CBS News, 26 February 2010

EXCERPT: "A provincial high court in Pakistan's Punjab province on Friday blocked the Pakistani government from extraditing recently-arrested Taliban leaders ? notably military chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (left)  ? to the United States, Afghanistan, or any other country until the matter is heard further in court. The court's intervention (in response...

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26 February 2010

"Militants Blow Up 16 Pak Schools in February", AFP via Yahoo! News, 26 February 2010

EXCERPT: "Taliban-linked militants have blown up a school in northwest Pakistan, bringing to 16 the number of such attacks this month, officials said Friday. 'Militants blew up 16 boys' and girls' schools in the tribal regions of Mohmand, Bajaur, Khyber and Dara Adamkhel during the current month,' provincial education minister,...

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26 February 2010

The Year of the Drone: An Analysis of US Drone Strikes, 2004-2010, New America Foundation via the Human Security Gateway, 24 February 2010

EXCERPT: "Our study shows that the 114 reported drone strikes in northwest Pakistan from 2004 to the present have killed between 830 and 1,210 individuals, of whom around 550 to 850 were described as militants in reliable press accounts, about two-thirds of the total on average. Thus, the...

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26 February 2010

Al-Qaeda Central [pdf], New America Foundation via the Human Security Gateway, February 2010

EXCERPT: "A U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) in July 2007 assessed that al-Qaeda had 'protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability, including: a safehaven in the Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), operational lieutenants, and its top leadership.' It was not as comfortable for the group...

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26 February 2010

US Sells Arms to South Asian Rivals, The Wall Street Journal, 25 February 2010

EXCERPT: "The Obama administration is sharply expanding American weapons transfers to both India and Pakistan, longtime rivals about to sit down for peace talks Thursday. The U.S. has sought to remain neutral in the thorny relationship between the nuclear-armed neighbors. But Washington hasn't been shy about pursuing weapons deals in the region, which...

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