Al Qaeda's response to the "peace" process

AP/MSNBC:

Suspected Islamic militants fatally shot eight tribal leaders involved in efforts to broker a cease-fire between security forces and insurgents in northwestern Pakistan, authorities said Monday.

The men were killed in separate attacks late Sunday and early Monday in South Waziristan, a mountainous region close to Afghanistan where al-Qaida and Taliban militants are known to operate, according to a security official and a military statement.

Gunmen killed three of the men at a market in Wana, the region's main town, while the other five were shot to death in attacks at their homes in a town north of Wana, the official said. He did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

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A cease fire is not on al Qaeda's agenda. A wise counterinsurgency strategy should be able to take advantage of this kind of conduct. Al Qaeda is making the same mistake it made in Anbar. Hopefully Pakistan will take advantage of the US offer of help in fighting this insurgency.