'US strike' kills 27 in Pakistan

[The Minx]

At least 27 militants have been killed in a suspected US missile attack in north-west Pakistan, officials say.

The missile strike hit a house in the South Waziristan area, near the Afghan border, which officials said was used as a hide-out for Taleban militants.

The US has carried out more than 20 air strikes from drones in north-western Pakistan in recent months.

President Asif Zardari has told US TV that the Taleban are now established across much of Pakistan.

"We're fighting for the survival of Pakistan. We're not fighting for the survival of anyone else," CBS says he told them in an interview to be screened on Sunday.

Islamabad has long argued that US air strikes complicate its own fight against insurgents, and violate its sovereignty.

Pakistani leaders had expressed hope that the new US administration of Barack Obama would halt the controversial manoeuvres.

But earlier this week Mr Obama said there was no doubt militants were operating in safe havens in Pakistan's tribal belt and that the US would make sure Pakistan was a strong ally in fighting that threat.

Wanted militant

The latest suspected drone attack took place on Saturday morning in a village near the town of Ladha.

A house owned by a local clan member was struck by two missiles. Most of the dead were Uzbeks, officials say. Several people were wounded.

Witnesses in the area say the rockets were fired from a drone and say the house was frequented by militants from Pakistani Taleban leader Baitullah Mehsud's organisation.

The BBC's Shoaib Hasan, in Islamabad, says Mehsud is one of the most wanted men in the region.

Our correspondent says Mehsud is believed to be responsible for a number of atrocities, including the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto - President Zardari's wife.

I'm worried about the ME reaction to Obama turning sour because of these tactics, and a great opportunity would have been squandered. I don't pretend to know the best alternative approach, but some change in tactics might have been better.

[frigidmagi]

The average Arab does not give a rat's ass about Pakistanis. They're focused on Iraq and Israel.

Also bluntly, these are Al Qeada and Taliban supporters. They are at war with us. They are at war with Pakistan's government (I'm pretty sure you're one of the ten people who actually read the Pakistani stories I've posted Minx you know what's going down there). If we leave them be, the Pakistani government won't take them out and they'll have a safe zone to operate from. This is a big No-No Counter insurgent wise.

The Pakistani government may complain but they don't have any sovereignty in the areas we hit. Not when Taliban fighters can execute policemen in broad daylight.

The real life situation is they have seize control of the territory in question while carrying a war upon us and our allies. Meanwhile the Pakistani government has only carry out haphazard and half hearted attempts to get rid of them. We have not only a right but a duty to hit them.

[The Minx]

Absolutely the strikes should continue! I wasn't about to suggest packing up and leaving the place. But getting Pakistan aboard for this war would be essential for its long term prospects of success, otherwise these will just be whack-a-mole air attacks on remote mountain hideouts while the Taliban and tribal chiefs consolidate their power on the ground. Pissing off the Pakistani government by demonstrating their ineffectiveness isn't gong to help with that, and its doubly concerning in that now we have the moderates in power in both countries, and still they seem not to trust each other.

PS: I do suspect that the ME will take note of these attacks (even though they care about Israel/Palestine more than any other issue), especially if the Pakistani government keeps complaining.