Pakistan: 13 Killed In U.S. Missile Strike

Thirteen people were killed near the Afghan border Friday resulting from a suspected US missile strike that was targeting a Taliban commander. This attack took place in Kam Sam village in the North Waziristan region, where many militants were blamed for killing US troops in Afghanistan and suicide blasts within Pakistan. This is a sign that America's new general for the region is not abiding by Islamabad's pleas for the strikes to end. This is one of many US cross-border attacks since August, which have angered Pakistani officials who say the raids undermine its anti-terror war in Afghanistan and also violate the country's sovereignty. One big challenge that president elect Barack Obama will face in January when he becomes president is to repair the strained ties between the US and Pakistan while keeping the pressure on al Qaeda and Taliban leaders that are supposedly hiding in the lawless frontier region.
A Pakistani intelligence official said an agent who visited the village after the attack reported that 13 suspected militants were killed. The targeted house is believed to have belonged to a Taliban commander and the official said that authorities were working on identifying the dead bodies. A government representatvie in the region also announced 13 people dead. The officials were not authorized to talk to the media and therefore remain anonymous.
General David Petraeus took over as head of the US Central Command on Oct. 31, giving him overall command of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This was the first suspected American attack since then. Petraeus visited Pakistan and Afghanistan this week. He claimed that the border strikes have killed three "extremist leaders", however he did not identify the men.
Osama bin Laden and his No. 2 man Zawahri are thought to be hiding in this rugged mountainous region where the government has never had much control. Pakistan leaders said they asked Petraeus to end the strikes because they were angering residents and therefore making it harder to get their cooperation with military offensives. Petraeus said that he would consider what they said, but gave them no promise that the attacks would be put to a halt. Obama also stated during th election campaign that he would attack al Qaeda targets in the border area even if Pakistan was unwilling to do so, suggesting that he also would not end the strikes. As much as Pakistan would like the attacks to stop, the leaders do not want to force the US to stop because they need Washington's help to relieve them of their economic crisis.
Brittney Nicola
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/07/world/main4583102.shtml?source=search_story