October 31, 2006

While Iraq Bleeds Pakistan Seethes

By Rick Moran
While the bloody, ongoing drama in Iraq continues to occupy the attention of most Americans, events in Pakistan threaten to upset the delicate balancing act that President Pervez Musharraf has been forced to perform with more conservative, anti—American factions in the government on the one hand and pro—Taliban tribes ensconced along the border with Afghanistan on the other. The strike at a madrassa in the northern federally administered tribal area of Bajur that was aimed at killing al—Qaeda Number 2 Ayman al—Zawahiri may have missed its intended target. But original reports that it was the Pakistani military that carried out the attack seems to have been issued solely for Musharraf's benefit; the facts on the ground as well as leaks from US military sources point to missiles being fired from a US Predator drone as the probable means by which several top level al—Qaeda leaders may have been killed along with dozens of Taliban and al—Qaeda...(Read Full Article)