The strike Sunday occurred in South Waziristan, the stronghold of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.
Two intelligence officials confirmed the strike on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.
I really didn't think that we'd continue striking so much once the U.S. presidential transition period was over. I thought it was more of a short-term protective measure than a new strategy.
I thought that in isolation such attacks can't do much in the long run since the good of any individual terrorists killed could be counter-balanced by bad reactions by the Pakistani public. We need Pakistan as a supply line for Afghanistan and to put pressure on Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan, and we need nuclear-armed Pakistan not under the control of jihadis. While Pakistan's government clearly is fine with our UAV attacks, unless they exploit the UAV attacks, can these attacks be worth the potential price?
Perhaps we are weighing these things and have simply concluded that the benefits exceed the price so far.
Or maybe we are doing it because we can't imagine not taking military action when we have permission and capabilities, regardless of whether it is a good idea.
I just don't know.
