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| Second Drone Strike in Pakistan Suggests Freer Hand for U.S. | Second Drone Strike in Pakistan Suggests Freer Hand for U.S. |
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| PESHAWAR, Pakistan — An American drone struck a militant compound in Pakistan’s tribal belt for the second time in 24 hours on Thursday, killing at least 10 suspected members of the Haqqani network, which held the American soldier Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl hostage for five years. | PESHAWAR, Pakistan — An American drone struck a militant compound in Pakistan’s tribal belt for the second time in 24 hours on Thursday, killing at least 10 suspected members of the Haqqani network, which held the American soldier Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl hostage for five years. |
| Pakistani security officials said the C.I.A.-operated drone fired six missiles at the compound four miles north of Miram Shah, the main town in North Waziristan. The missiles struck a building and an explosives-laden truck parked outside, they said. | Pakistani security officials said the C.I.A.-operated drone fired six missiles at the compound four miles north of Miram Shah, the main town in North Waziristan. The missiles struck a building and an explosives-laden truck parked outside, they said. |
| Hours earlier, late Wednesday, an American attack on the same compound had killed at least four people. Initial reports from that attack described the dead as mostly ethnic Uzbek fighters, but the second strike appeared to have been aimed squarely at the Haqqani militants. | Hours earlier, late Wednesday, an American attack on the same compound had killed at least four people. Initial reports from that attack described the dead as mostly ethnic Uzbek fighters, but the second strike appeared to have been aimed squarely at the Haqqani militants. |
| The Haqqani group, headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani, has carried out numerous attacks on American and Afghan security forces, as well as hotels and embassies in Kabul, the Afghan capital. The group’s strength derives in part from its sanctuary in North Waziristan, where it is believed to have held Sergeant Bergdahl for much of his five years in captivity, until his release on May 31 in exchange for five Taliban commanders held at Guantánamo Bay. | The Haqqani group, headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani, has carried out numerous attacks on American and Afghan security forces, as well as hotels and embassies in Kabul, the Afghan capital. The group’s strength derives in part from its sanctuary in North Waziristan, where it is believed to have held Sergeant Bergdahl for much of his five years in captivity, until his release on May 31 in exchange for five Taliban commanders held at Guantánamo Bay. |
| The Wednesday and Thursday attacks marked an emphatic resumption of the American drone program in Pakistan’s tribal belt following a five-month hiatus. The last known C.I.A. strike inside Pakistan took place on Dec. 25. | The Wednesday and Thursday attacks marked an emphatic resumption of the American drone program in Pakistan’s tribal belt following a five-month hiatus. The last known C.I.A. strike inside Pakistan took place on Dec. 25. |
| American drone strikes are deeply unpopular in Pakistan and are met with vehement criticism from the government, which on Thursday issued a pro forma statement that condemned both attacks as a “violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” | American drone strikes are deeply unpopular in Pakistan and are met with vehement criticism from the government, which on Thursday issued a pro forma statement that condemned both attacks as a “violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” |
| But in private, some Pakistani officials say they quietly support drone strikes when they suit Pakistan’s perceived self-interest. On Thursday, Reuters quoted two unnamed Pakistani government officials who described the latest strikes as a “joint Pakistan-U.S. operation” that, they said, had the “express approval” of the Pakistani government. | But in private, some Pakistani officials say they quietly support drone strikes when they suit Pakistan’s perceived self-interest. On Thursday, Reuters quoted two unnamed Pakistani government officials who described the latest strikes as a “joint Pakistan-U.S. operation” that, they said, had the “express approval” of the Pakistani government. |
| “We understand that drones will be an important part of our fight against the Taliban now,” the news agency quoted one official as saying, in an unusually frank admission of Pakistani complicity in the drone program. | “We understand that drones will be an important part of our fight against the Taliban now,” the news agency quoted one official as saying, in an unusually frank admission of Pakistani complicity in the drone program. |
| The five-month lull in C.I.A. strikes coincided with a concerted effort by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government to draw the Pakistani Taliban into peace talks. But that effort has all but collapsed in recent weeks, undercut by tensions between Mr. Sharif and the military leadership and by a damaging leadership split in the Taliban ranks. | The five-month lull in C.I.A. strikes coincided with a concerted effort by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government to draw the Pakistani Taliban into peace talks. But that effort has all but collapsed in recent weeks, undercut by tensions between Mr. Sharif and the military leadership and by a damaging leadership split in the Taliban ranks. |
| Moreover, an audacious Taliban assault on the Karachi airport on Sunday, resulting in 36 deaths, bolstered public support for a military operation. In the days since, military officials have hinted that plans are underway for a major operation, mostly likely in Waziristan. | Moreover, an audacious Taliban assault on the Karachi airport on Sunday, resulting in 36 deaths, bolstered public support for a military operation. In the days since, military officials have hinted that plans are underway for a major operation, mostly likely in Waziristan. |
| The Pakistani Taliban presented the Karachi airport assault as a joint operation with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which has firmly established itself in the jihadi firmament of Waziristan since September 2011. Pakistani officials said that at least three Uzbek fighters died in the C.I.A. strike on Wednesday night. | The Pakistani Taliban presented the Karachi airport assault as a joint operation with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which has firmly established itself in the jihadi firmament of Waziristan since September 2011. Pakistani officials said that at least three Uzbek fighters died in the C.I.A. strike on Wednesday night. |
| American calculations in the tribal belt have also changed following the release of Sergeant Bergdahl. American military officials in Washington have suggested that they previously employed restraint in attacking the Haqqani network in Waziristan because of concerns for the safety of the American soldier. | American calculations in the tribal belt have also changed following the release of Sergeant Bergdahl. American military officials in Washington have suggested that they previously employed restraint in attacking the Haqqani network in Waziristan because of concerns for the safety of the American soldier. |
| On Sunday, James N. Mattis, the former leader of the United States Central Command, said on CNN that that concern was now gone. “There’s also a freedom to operate against them that perhaps we didn’t fully enjoy,” he said. | On Sunday, James N. Mattis, the former leader of the United States Central Command, said on CNN that that concern was now gone. “There’s also a freedom to operate against them that perhaps we didn’t fully enjoy,” he said. |