Unilateral Strike Called a Model for US Operations in Pakistan

The US continues to hunt Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan, sometimes without Pakistani approval. Instead, US officials notify Pakistan authorities about air strikes, including the recent attack on Abu Laith al-Libi, a senior al-Qaeda commander, only after missions are under way. “When the autonomous US military operations in Pakistan succeed, support for them grows in Washington in probably the same proportion as Pakistani resentments increase,” write Joby Warrick and Robin Wright for the Washington Post. The rush to target Al Qaeda members hiding out along the wild Afghanistan-Pakistan border stems from concerns about transition to new leadership in both the US and Pakistan: The US will elect a replacement for President George Bush in November 2008, and opposition parties won more votes than President Pervez Musharraf’s party in Pakistan’s February 18 election. The US military notes that the Al Qaeda threat in Pakistan continues to grow. "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then,” warned one US official. “But overall, we're in worse shape than we were 18 months ago." – YaleGlobal