In Pakistan, the leader of a more moderate Taliban faction was shot and killed by one of his own guards. Also, suspected American missiles hit a Taliban training center, killing several people.
But the attacks in Pakistan didnt stop there. At a funeral for some of those killed, officials said four more missiles struck the procession, killing as many as 40 people and wounding 60 others.
The attacks took place in South Waziristan, an area where Pakistani government forces have stepped up their attacks on Taliban strongholds.
Ahmad Kamal, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United Nations, joins Martin Savidge to discuss the offensive in Waziristan and the refugee situation.
General Stanley McChrystal, the new US commander in Afghanistan, took charge of operations in the country a week ago.
Ordered by the Pentagon to come up with a new strategy within 60 days, McChrystal warned of a “tough” year ahead after completing his first fact-finding tour of one restive province .
Nuclear proliferation is one of the key issues facing world leaders today. In recent weeks, North Korea tested a second nuclear device, increasing tensions throughout the region. And at the centre of the storm is usually the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA. Its chief, Mohammed el-Baradei, is stepping down this November. He recently spoke with Al-Jazeera’s Allen Fisher and described what he calls the greatest threat to world security.
On Wednesday, it was another day of violence on the streets of Tehran, with reports of beatings — and at least one shooting — after demonstrators defied a government ban and gathered outside Irans parliament building.
There were other signs that the governments position towards the protestors is hardening. Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared on state television and stated empathically, again, that there would be no new presidential election. In an effort to portray business as usual, Iranian authorities allowed reporters to attend President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s first official meeting in Iran since the controversial election.
Afshin Molavi, a fellow with the New America Foundation and the author of The Soul of Iran, joins Martin Savidge to discuss what role the U.S. and other countries can play in ending Irans conflict and how the protests may evolve.
A former US national security adviser has told Al Jazeera that US intelligence agents are working in Iran.
But Brent Scowcroft said US government support for those in Iran who are protesting against the official results of a recent presidential election would only provoke a more intense crackdown by the government in Tehran.
He told Josh Rushing, the host of Al Jazeera’s programme Fault Lines, that the Obama administration has taken the correct approach in dealing with the unrest in Iran.
I’ve been reporting on this development for a few weeks now. Here’s more.
In a sign that efforts to root out militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan may be making headway, American officials say members of al-Qaeda are beginning to flee the region, heading for places like Somalia and Yemen.
David Sanger of the New York Times, the author of the book The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power, joins Martin Savide to discuss why al-Qaeda members are fleeing and how they might be caught.
Another country not mentioned where Al Qaeda militants are likely seeking refuge is Eritrea.