Pakistan silence surprises after US attack on Taliban kills 80
ISLAMABAD — What appeared to be the deadliest U.S. missile attack ever on Pakistani soil brought an unusual reaction Wednesday in a country that has previously denounced such strikes as an affront to its sovereignty — silence.
Tuesday’s attack killed 80 people, Pakistani officials said, but missed its chief target, Baitullah Mehsud. He is the country’s top Taliban leader and its public enemy No. 1, accused of masterminding numerous brutal operations including the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
The seemingly accurate targeting appeared to point to cooperation between the U.S. military and Pakistani intelligence — despite Pakistani denials. This was possible because Mehsud — unlike some other U.S. foes in the northwest tribal region on the Afghan border — is so reviled in Pakistan.
Missiles apparently fired by unmanned aircraft first struck a purported Taliban training center in South Waziristan, then another barrage rained down on a funeral procession for some of those who had been killed earlier.
Mehsud attended the funeral in Makeen village, and panicky militants reported losing contact with the Taliban chief for a short time immediately after the attack, according to radio intercepts cited by two Pakistani intelligence officials.
Tiananmen Square participant arrested again, family not told
BEIJING — A well-known Chinese dissident who co-authored a bold political manifesto calling for greater freedom and an end to one-party rule has been arrested in an attempt to cow dissent ahead of the 60th anniversary of communist rule this fall.
Liu Xiaobo was held by police at a secret location for more than six months with no formal notification given to his family. Police finally delivered a written notice to his wife, Liu Xia, on Wednesday informing her that her husband was arrested the day before on suspicion of “inciting to subvert state power” and transferred to a Beijing city detention center.
Liu, 53, is a former university professor who spent 20 months in jail for joining the 1989 student-led protests in Tiananmen Square.
“I am so worried about him,” Liu Xia said Wednesday, fighting back tears. “I don’t know how many more years he will be imprisoned now.”
