From Counterterrorism Blog:
In a first, senior U.S. officials acknowledged that U.S. ground forces entered Pakistan to pursue high-value Al Qaeda targets, and the hunt for Osama bin Laden is moving at full speed before President Bush leaves office. “(A) small team of commandos crossed the border from Afghanistan into Pakistan to go after an al Qaida cell operating out of a village less than a mile from the border. The officials said the cell was using the village as a base to plan and conduct cross border raids into Afghanistan. The leader of the cell – whose name the officials did not release – was reported killed along with several women and at least one child.” The reactions from the Pakistanis include not just the usual official protests, but also a column from the chairman of the PPP, Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of assassinated ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and the leading candidate for President. Writing in the Washington Post, Zardari didn’t explicitly criticize any U.S. raid into Pakistan. “It is important to remember that Pakistan, too, is a victim of terrorism. Our soldiers are dying on the front lines; our children are being blown up by suicide bombers. We stand with the United States, Britain, Spain and others who have been attacked. Fundamentally, however, the war we our fighting is our war.”
Two days ago, Jonathan Winer discussed the need for a broad counterinsurgency effort in the FATA and the Administration’s recent determination to now rely on Zardari as a partner in the pursuit of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. The Pakistanis publicly claimed credit for an attack designed to kill Ayman al-Zawahiri, a positive sign of such cooperation. But for the U.S. to attack and admit it just days from the presidential vote appears to be a statement that, with or without Zardari’s assistance, the U.S. will attack specific terrorist targets inside Pakistan with sufficient force. I assume that we will mount other such attacks, perhaps frequently, in President Bush’s remaining term in office. That’s a strategic direction of major consequence which the next President will have to review, but I cannot imagine either of the current candidates putting the gloves back on and withdrawing that capability.
More from Dan, over at the Pub.
related: Gadaaaaaaaaah!
“Obama Gaffes Again: ‘My Muslim Religion’
In case you missed it, Mr. Obama made an interesting slip of the tongue on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos:”
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-gaffes-again-my-muslim-religion
BHO SAT Guess of 1150.
Greetings:
The US military had an extensive history of secret cross-border raids and patrols during the Viet Nam war. If you’re interested in some background, google “Studies and Observation Group” or “SOG”. I can’t imagine that we can’t do more or better these days.
The one thing that we can probably count on is the Taliban to get all high-and-mighty with the local clan and tribal leaders. That doesn’t go down well in the best of times, and it really doesn’t work so well when they are geting hit in their own base area and the Taliban can’t stop that. If that situation comes about, then expect a number of Taliban heads to be delivered to the coalition forces as a truce offering.
This is Kipling’s World. Borders are where you enforce them. Brigands and pirates can be pursued anywhere. See: Colombia’s strike across the border earlier this year.
Ports through which supplies move can be closed to those supplies. Roads can be blocked (or mined). If they choose to the Paks can make the life of the ISAF very difficult.
Mexican standoff? We’ll see.
I’m hard-pressed to describe what it is Baracky knows other than dogma. He seems very soft-knowledgey … he went to law school but never really applied it to where he has a functional understanding of law, so that doesn’t work. He probably knows a lot about teleprompters I guess. Way more than I do anyways.
My staff writes all of my blog comments, so that I never go off message.
And when I say staff, I mean it’s bigger than the one Olberdouche has writing his show. Way.
“the one Olberdouche has writing his show”
Kos Kidz?
So Olbermann’s little head is writing stuff for his big head to say?
Not that I’m surprised or anything…
Fucking ridiculous, that. I guess his SAT was 1590, with just as much accuracy. Oh, and I guess he graduated at the top of his college class, too!
Oh, and 1250 un-recenters to 1180, not 1150. I’m guessing the author is not a detail man.
My recentered score would be 1410. Not great, but not shabby. I think I took the test a little hung over.
– #1
– This habit he has of stepping on his crank. when speaking contemporaneously, must really be giving the Obama camp serious ulcers looking forward to the coming weeks and the debates.
We’ve been in Pakistan since the beginning. I don’t know that is the first time we’ve acknowledged that they are there.
Yup, the ass end of Pakistan and Afghanistan belongs to him who can control it, regardless of what line old Winnie drew or whatever. If you mooks can’t slap these savages around sufficiently, we sure as hell can.
The Pakistani Army has limited reach and logistical punch. They were attacking in spurts when I was in Afghanistan – and they for darn sure have suffered way more casualties than we have in theater.
I suspect that the solution is finding a way for us to get at HVTs without rubbing the pride of their people the wrong way, too much. Hard to admit you have to have armed foreigners come in and stop people from using what is, ostensibly, your national territory as a launching pad to attack your neighbor…