Osama bin Laden spent his final years engaged in a futile struggle to prevent his terror network from unraveling and embracing the brutal tactics that have since become signatures of the Islamic State, according to documents released Tuesday that were recovered from the compound where the al-Qaeda leader was killed in 2011. In letters to subordinates, bin Laden denounced almost every aspect of the Islamic State playbook. He warned against seizing more territory than would…
Posts published in “Day: March 2, 2016”
The past few months have seen a topsy-turvy response from the US over its relationship with Pakistan from various quarters. The primary subject of the strategic dialogue, which began on Monday, is likely to become the nuclear issue, with India’s inclusion into the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the reproach to Pakistan over its nuclear arsenal coming to center-stage at the outset. Pakistan is likely to reassert the infallibility of its security mechanisms and the US…
Interestingly, Washington’s usual ‘do more’ gave way to a more specific list of demands at the 6th ministerial review of the strategic dialogue, even though the gist of the request remains more or less the same. The diplomatic language has changed since Zarb-e-Azb ended the Good Taliban, Bad Taliban drama and Pakistan helped – sincere this time – with facilitating the Kabul-Taliban dialogue. So now the Americans just want visible action against the Haqqani Network,…
SHABQADAR: Two USAID officials were killed and two others, including a tehsildar, sustained injuries when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in Ambar Tehsil of Mohmand Agency on Tuesday, official sources said. According to the political administration officials, Tehsildar Faramosh Khan was on an anti-poppy drive in Ambar tehsil area along with Anti-Narcotics Force officials and USAID campaigners when an IED device planted on the roadside exploded. As a result of the explosion, the…
WASHINGTON: The United States has again advised Pakistan to curtail its nuclear weaponry and stockpile. The issue remained on the agenda in bilateral ministerial meeting here on Monday. The Secretary of State, John Kerry, and Adviser to PM on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, held the sixth round of strategic dialogue which discussed the progress of at least six working groups on various topics. In his opening remarks before the meeting, Secretary Kerry suggested that Pakistan…
WASHINGTON: US and Pakistani officials are still deliberating on the contents of a joint statement that was supposed to be issued after the sixth meeting of their strategic dialogue on Monday afternoon. Neither side is willing to talk about the differences that have reportedly delayed the statement, but in their opening remarks on Monday, leaders of the US and Pakistani delegations highlighted some pressing issues. US Secretary of State John Kerry emphasised the need for…