As someone in Massachusetts who will soon be represented by a onetime nude-model, I'm definitely sick of politics for the night.
To tonight's roundup!
Another Drone Strike In North Waziristan.
At an approximate pace of one strike for every two days, the hammering continues. Six are dead after Hellfire missiles slam into a compound and vehicle, destroying both.(Dawn)
Some of the recent drone strikes in the Shaktoi region, which had been targeting Pakistani Taliban(TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud, reportedly killed five Taliban commanders. Hakimullah and the many of the TTP have been driven north from South Waziristan following a Pakistani army offensive, often ending up in the other TTP strongholds of Orakzai/Kurram/Khyber agencies. It has been thought for awhile, and confirmed by recent events, that Hakimullah Mehsud is in North Waziristan and probably under the protection of the Haqqani Network .(Dawn)
North Waziristan serves as the rear base of the Haqqani network, who's military leader is portrayed in this thoughtful piece by the Wall Street Journal. Siraj Haqqani is perhaps the most important militant at the moment- in some ways, moreso than Mullah Omar and even Osama bin Laden.
Across the border from North Waziristan into Paktia, Afghanistan.
In this hotbed of Haqqani fighters, a look at what a military/civilian surge might look like in eastern Afghanistan.(McClatchy)
The civilian surge is coming,
and the civilians are finding few trained Afghan partners. Best of luck to the them and the good work they've set out to do. Hope they've all had a chance to read Stones Into Schools.(Washington Post)
Corruption.
While institutions are built from scratch in a place where they have never existed, an old institution remains prevalent; corruption. According to the U.N. Afghans are estimated to have paid two and a half billion in bribes during a one-year period, with half of all Afghan adults thought to have had to pay some type of bribe.(Associated Press)