Bombing fallout in Pakistan
The overnight air strike on a madrassa this week, which killed 82 people, has hurt Musharraf’s attempts to make nice with pro-Taliban tribal groups in the border regions. After suffering a bloody nose in Waziristan, the Pakistani army promised to stay out if militants stopped launching attacks into Afghanistan. This led to two agreements prior to ...
The overnight air strike on a madrassa this week, which killed 82 people, has hurt Musharraf's attempts to make nice with pro-Taliban tribal groups in the border regions. After suffering a bloody nose in Waziristan, the Pakistani army promised to stay out if militants stopped launching attacks into Afghanistan. This led to two agreements prior to Musharraf's American book tour, and a third was to be signed last Tuesday. But since Monday's bombing, the streets have been overflowing with protesters and the country's editorial pages are furious.
So why endanger the strategy of reconciliation at such a crucial moment? One theory suggests an American drone destroyed the school. It wouldn’t be the first time. In January of this year, a U.S. drone attacked a madrassa, killing 18 and causing outrage in Pakistan. Officials there deny that the most recent attack was led by the Americans, but they admit it was based on US intelligence. “They pressed the intelligence hard against our face….A rapid military action was inevitable,” one intelligence official said privately.
But more importantly, did the missiles target the right people? The Pakistani military says that all 82 were militants. As evidence, infrared videos were shown to select journalists. However, there were no guns or arms in the video – just people exercising inside the building during the night.
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