The United States conducted an airstrike on a Taliban compound in Pakistan’s tribal agency of South Waziristan Saturday. The attack, which killed at least 25 people, largely Uzbeks fighters and a few Arab al Qaeda members according to reports, is the third such strike inside Pakistan since President Obama took office. The last two attacks took place on January 23, just two days after President Obama took office. Interestingly enough, the reports in the Western media put far less focus on the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and the death of innocent civilians, and focus more on the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters killed and the expansion of al Qaeda’s safe havens. Saturday’s attack was also the first since Senator Feinstein confirmed the rumors of a secret CIA base inside Pakistan that is used to launch the Predator strikes. Putting aside the very serious national security and diplomatic implications of Senator Feinstein’s disclosure, there is one positive outcome to this: the Pakistani government can no longer say with a straight face that it objects to the U.S. strikes. The Pakistani government’s faux outrage over the strikes has served to portray the U.S. as imperialists who disregard the concerns of an allied country. Interestingly enough, the Pakistani government failed to denounce, or even mention, Saturday’s strike in South Waziristan. Unless the United States ends the strikes, the Pakistani government will eventually need to quit playing its double game and decide take a public stand on strikes against the Taliban and al Qaeda operating on its territory.
