There have been a number of pre-emptive attacks against Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent weeks. Some are skirmishes by army forces, some are strikes by fighter jets and attack helicopters.
These attacks are generally followed by exaggerated claims of the numbers of enemy casualties and, sometimes, of their identities. Usually the tallies are pared down in the following days and often the locals claim the victims weren't insurgents at all but just ordinary villagers.
When Pakistan gets involved it is invariably to arrest or attack al-Qaeda targets. The Musharraf government seems to stay well clear of Taliban insurgents. Pakistani military intervention seems to follow international pressure for action.
This sets the scene for reports today that Pakistani helicopter gunships attacked al-Qaeda compounds in South Waziristan within a few miles of the Afghan border. The attacks are said to have killed at least 10-foreign militants (al-Qaeda) while the local tribesmen maintain the dead were three locals and seven, Afghan labourers, not insurgents.
There has been no independent confirmation of the attack or its results. Journalists are not allowed in the tribal regions. All we can do is hope they're actually hitting the bad guys and that they keep the pressure on in the weeks leading to the anticipated spring offensive.
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