Waziristan

(Newser) - A representative of Baitullah Mehsud, the al-Qaeda leader Pakistan has fingered in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, strongly denied any involvement in her death today. Giving further support to the claims of a cover-up by Bhutto's partisans, the spokesman for Mehsud said "he had no involvement in this attack"...

(Newser) - Violence has reached a fever pitch in Waziristan, where at least 45 Pakistani soldiers and 150 pro-Taliban militants have died during intense fighting over the past 3 days. Unconfirmed reports say another 50 rebels and an unknown number of civilians died today, according to the BBC. Pakistan’s ceasefire with...

(Newser) - Pervez Musharraf is facing yet another hurdle: Benazir Bhutto says she will return to Pakistan to challenge his plans for another presidential term. The exiled ex-PM tells the Sunday Times she is considering abandoning talks with the increasingly unpopular Musharraf, embarrassed last week after the country's Supreme Court reinstated the...

(Newser) - Fifty people, including a group of children stranded aboard a school bus, have been killed in fighting between al-Qaeda terrorists and local tribesmen in one of Pakistan’s lawless regions on the border with Afghanistan. Taliban leaders, who have ties to both groups, are trying to broker a truce, according...