Taliban hit Pakistan intelligence agency

NY Times:

Militants stepped up their fight against the Pakistani government on Friday, ramming a truck bomb into a regional office of the country’s main intelligence agency.

The early-morning blast in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed at least nine people and wounded more than 50, authorities said, in what has become a grimly familiar cycle of violence. An attack on a police station in a different area left as many as six dead.

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There was no doubt about the target or the motive of the bombing on Friday: Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, is a prominent symbol of military power, and militants have struck at it in different cities in Pakistan. The military is conducting a campaign against insurgents in the western mountains of Waziristan, an offensive that has led to a sharp increase in reprisals by militants.

Peshawar, a bustling city on the edge of Pakistan’s western frontier, has been hit particularly hard, with near daily bombings that have unsettled residents and interrupted daily rhythms. Schools in the area of the blast were closed for the day.

“The underlying idea is to shake the people’s confidence in the military’s efforts,” said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a military analyst in Lahore. “It’s a kind of strategy — well planned, well thought-out — to pressure the government through ordinary people.”

The intelligence agency, know by its initials, ISI, has carried out operations against Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters hiding in the western mountains, and in recent years it has become a target. An ISI building was hit this spring in Lahore, one of Pakistan’s largest cities.

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The ISI has helped the US target Taliban leadership with UAV Hellfire attacks which are taking a toll on the religious bigots' ability to operate. The spy agency has been heavily into a double game for years, but recently has been forced to tilt toward helping the US because of all the attacks on the Pakistan government and its people. This attack is likely to strengthen the effort to help the US and the army destroy these guys.