excerpts.

We're finally going after Al Qaeda where they've been hanging out since Tora Bora - In Pakistan.

• Top al-Qaida officer reportedly killed MSNBC, 12/03/2005

  Hamza Rabia, an Egyptian Al Qaeda ["Nawaab" or "Nawab"], planner of assassination attempts on Musharraf 12/14/2003, 12/25/2003, and chief deputy to Abu Faraj al-Libbi, was killed in a Predator drone attack on a safehouse in Asorai/Asoray, a suburb of Mir Ali, North Waziristan, Pakistan. Mir Ali's about 20 miles from the Afghanistan border and North Waziristan's most likely where Al Qaeda and the Taliban have been having free reign under the aegis of Pakistani sovereignty.

  Rabia was killed along with 2 Pakistanis and 2 other Arabs in between 1:45a and 2a, local time, Thursday. Witness claim there were an unknown number of missiles, identifiable via the US markings on the debris, even though the Predator carries only two Hellfires and the Wikipedia reference picture doesn't seem to have a bunch of markings.

• Early last month, around 11/05, the Guardian reported that suspected Arab militants accdentally blew themselves up while making bombs in a tribal village named Mosaki, 12 miles east of Miranshah, North Waziristan. Miranshah happens to be just about 12 miles west of Mir Ali so, since I can't find Mosaki on a map, I'm assuming it's a suburb of Mir Ali.

  The above MSNBC article refers to this "accidental blast" as a failed Predator drone attempt on the late Hamza Rabia.

• On May 9, 2005, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported that two people were killed when a carbomb went off in Toorikhel, a suburb of Mir Ali. One was Samiullah Khan, a local warlord, and the other body was burned beyond recognition. The Washington Post reported on 05/15 that a Predator drone took out Haitham al-Yemeni, an Al Qaeda deputy of Abu Faraj al-Libbi in the suburb of Toorikhel. MSNBC reports that Pakstan denies that a Predator attack took place.  Note the Pakistani media's emphasis here - local warlord who causes trouble eliminated but Al Qaeda, who're seen as a US priority, not mentioned.

That's 3 Predator attacks within a fairly narrow 20 mile distance from the Afghani border (and about 120 miles SE from Kabul) on Al Qaeda operatives within the last 8 months or so. Predator attacks, each time explained first by Pakistani press as "accidents" with no mention of US attacks on Pakistani soil. Musharraf's got to be nervous back in Islamabad if the people get word that we're flying drones and shooting 5 foot long missles of death everywhere.  His people seem to have been able to capture Abu Musab al Suri in Quetta, Balochistan province, but that's not Waziristan.  Musharraf's taking his time with "cleaning up" the Waziristans.

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (North and South Waziristan are two of 7, 20% of which span Afghanistan's border) are essentially not under any of Pakistan's control and have always been very, very pro Al Qaeda and Taliban. Over these last three years, the areas have been a source of untameable unrest for Musharraf (ariana, an Afghani publication).   Gunfight at the Waziriztan Corral, by Kaushik Kapisthalam in April 2004 notes:

On March 17th, the local administration decided to send in about 700 Frontier Corps paramilitary troops to confront the fighters holed up in a village called Kalosha, near Wana. But apparently a smaller number of heavily armed locals and foreign fighters ambushed the government troops, killing at least 15 and taking dozens of paramilitaries and civil officials hostage. After this, regular Pakistan Army troops were dispatched to cordon off the area, but the militants were able to break the cordon and escape with the vehicles and arms belonging to government forces.

Many credible reports talk of wholesale switching of sides by the Frontier Corps soldiers. In addition, tribal antipathy to the Pakistani army spread to other agencies as well. There is also a report that said “150 soldiers of the army and paramilitary forces refused to take part in the action, including at least one colonel and a major.”

And in May 2004's Pakistan's Papier-Mache Army

In a nutshell, around 10,000 men from Pakistan army’s XI Corps, supported by artillery and attack helicopters as well the local Frontier Corps paramilitaries bungled a simple mop up operation in their own tribal zone against a few hundred lightly armed tribal fighters. The Pakistani troops lost at least 150 troops, gave up many hostages and created a cordon that was more like a sieve, allowing the fighters to slip away.

And in June 2004, from Strategypage.com

After a lot of pressure from the US, Pakistan decided to target militant bases in South Waziristan. Under the overall command of the Peshawar based XI Corps of the Pakistan Army (PA), the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) was first sent into the region in March 2004. The initial push was aimed at a militant strong hold at Kaloosha village just outside Wana, the provincial capital of South Waziristan and minutes from a major Pakistan army base. Some 2,000 FC troops belonging to the South Waziristan Scouts (SWS) were sent on a probing raid. It was a disaster. The militants, backed up by tribals, estimated to be around 200, were able to corner the SWS in a classic guerilla trap. The army quickly moved a regular army brigade, Special Service Group (SSG) commandos with Artillery and AH-1 Cobra helicopter support, to rescue the trapped SWS men. When the smoke cleared the militants were found to have escaped with a dozen army hostages (some of whom were later executed). Western reports said that the PA lost some 150 men in the Kaloosha debacle, while managing to eliminate some 25 rebels most of whom appeared to be locals.

And Iraq's likened to Vietnam.  That incident was headed up by 27 year old Nek Mohammed, South Waziristan's own Afghani/Taliban veteran and local hero. Shortly after the Pakistani Army's retreat, in June 2004, a Predator drone idled by and killed him.  The Pakistani Army publicly took credit for that, too.

US 'concern' at Pakistan strategy, BBC News, 05/03/2004

Lieutenant-General David Barno said Pakistan must eliminate a "significant number" of militants along the border. "There are foreign fighters in those tribal areas who will have to be killed or captured," he said.

The fun thing about this "soft border" with Afghanistan is that Musharraf said this, May 17, 2005: “Soft borders are not a solution” ... with regards to Kashmir and India.  Sure is looking like it is, for us.  If Musharraf can't go successfully into those areas, the least we can do is toss a few missles over there and have Al Qaeda run into areas where Musharraf can throw out a net.

Added bonus: Locations of some of the cities mentioned