The US military is providing intelligence and surveillance video from drones to assist the Pakistani army in its anti-Taliban offensive in South Waziristan, the Los Angeles Times reports, citing unnamed Washington officials. "We are coordinating with the Pakistanis," one official said. "And we do provide Predator support when requested." (LAT [2], Oct. 23)
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is urgently appealing for the protection of the civilian population in Pakistan, and raised particular concerns about the situation of tens of thousands of civilians trapped in South Waziristan. One ICRC representative protested that aid workers face "very heavy restrictions on access" to the region. (BBC News [3], VOA [4], Oct. 23)
A wave of suicide bombings and armed assaults on targets across Pakistan has left more than 190 dead so far this month. (Dawn [5], Pakistan, Oct. 23) A bicycle-bomb attack on the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra, north of Islamabad, a car bombing outside an upscale restaurant in Peshawar, and a roadside bomb blast that destroyed a bus carrying wedding guests in Mohmand tribal region together left 23 dead and 28 wounded Oct. 23. (WP [6], Oct. 24)
See our last post on Pakistan [7].
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