US bombs Pakistan —again?

Suspected US drones fired missiles into an alleged Taliban compound near Wana village in Pakistan’s South Waziristan, killing at least seven people, local security officials said Oct. 26. There was no immediate confirmation of the strike from Pakistan’s military or the US-led coalition in Afghanistan. The attack is the 12th in the past 10 weeks—all of which have been blamed on CIA or US-led forces in Afghanistan.

On Oct. 22, at least eight were killed when a suspected US drone fired missiles into a madrassa in Miranshah, North Waziristan, allegedly established by veteran Taliban leader Jalaluddin Haqqani. The attack came hours after Pakistan’s parliament passed a unanimous resolution calling for defense of the country’s territorial sovereignty. The resolution calls for an “independent foreign policy,” and states that “dialogue must now be the highest priority.” Alluding to the missile attacks, it states that Pakistan “stands united against any incursions and invasions of the homeland, and calls upon the government to deal with it effectively.” (Daily Times, Pakistan, Oct. 27; Gulf Daily News, Bahrain, Press TV, Iran, Oct. 23)

See our last post on Pakistan.