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Cross-Border Attacks On The Increase in Afghanipakistan

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- Usually when you hear about cross-border attacks here, they are perpetrated by the Taliban. Not so much in recent weeks -- this

Jul 31, 20201.2K Shares605.7K Views
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — Usually when you hear about cross-border attacks here, they are perpetrated by the Taliban. Not so much in recent weeks — this time it’s the U.S.dipping its toes into Pakistan, which Sen. John McCain has said Sen. Barack Obama is naive for proposing.
Last week, the U.S. allegedly went after a target in Pakistan — something that the U.S. military never confirmed but nonetheless prompted Pakistan’s new government to shut downa crucial NATO resupply entry point. Today comes word that the U.S. fired a missileat the old-school Taliban commander Jalaladeen Haqqani’s Pakistan redoubt.
With any luck I can get to the border tomorrow, to learn more about all this crossborder activity. In the meantime, Bill Roggio’s Long War Journal has a very informative postabout the increase in cross-border operations in 2008. Most of them, it seems, have come in the form of airstrikes, because ground troops were a no-no even during the relatively complaint government of Pervez Musharraf. Perhaps last week’s (alleged!) ground-troop raid was a test of what the U.S. military can get away with. Keep an eye on how new Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari reacts in the coming days.
Hajra Shannon

Hajra Shannon

Reviewer
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