January 1, 2010

Omen for 2010

The [Pakistani] government says the hitting of soft civilian targets, as the one in Lakki Marwat, is proof that the militants are getting desperate, and know the authorities have the upper hand. Most Pakistanis will be unconvinced of that.
— BBC correspondent in Islamabad
The perpetrators deliberately and ruthlessly chose the volleyball match, rather than the meeting of armed citizenry which was taking place close nearby at that same moment. The recent series of suicide bombings is said to be in retaliation for an upsurge in U.S. remote-controlled missile attacks inside Pakistan, which have also killed a number of civilians (as well as "high value targets" like this guy*).

In October, Jane Mayer at the New Yorker had asked,

What are the risks of the CIA's covert drone program?

* And maybe a couple more.

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