U.S. Predator Airstrike in North Waziristan Kills 25 Al Qaeda and Taliban

What a way to start a weekend! A U.S. predator airstrike which saw two hellfire missiles launched into an islamic madrassa which then set off an explosion of all of the cache in that madrassa killed 25 al Qaea and Taliban early this morning. This attack came in North Waziristan in NW Pakistan and is the third predator strike to come inside of the Pakistani border this week - so yes, it's been a GREAT week. Here's some of the details from The Long War Journal:

The US has struck at Taliban and al Qaeda targets inside Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agencies for the third time this week. Twenty-five Taliban and al Qaeda operatives are reported to have been killed and several more were wounded in an airstrike in North Waziristan.
Predator strike aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles at a Taliban madrassa and a vehicle in the town of Khaisor, which is just outside of the town of Mir Ali, Geo News reported. The strike reportedly detonated an ammunition dump at the madrassa, causing a massive explosion. No senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders have been reported killed.
The town of Mir Ali is a known stronghold of al Qaeda leader Abu Kasha al Iraqi, an Iraqi national who is also known as Abu Akash. He has close links to the Taliban, a senior US intelligence official told The Long War Journal in January 2007. He serves as the key link between al Qaeda's Shura Majlis, or executive council, and the Taliban.

You will see later in this article some interesting points about how Pakistan and the U.S. are interacting regarding these predator strikes - from the fact that the Pakistani government publicly denounces the attacks yet behind the scenes condones them and one of the most interesting points is this:

Pakistani intelligence also passes information to US intelligence to target Taliban leaders.
The US has reciprocated, but the intelligence often is turned over to the Taliban and al Qaeda, who use the information to evade the strikes. The US has stopped notifying Pakistan of planned strikes due to the leaks, Dawn reported.

We all know the leaks that are associated with the Pakistani government and even their military so it is wise that we are not announcing these attacks anymore - but at the same time, we probably are going to give up some valuable intel in the process. But I have to believe that when you consider the NW section of Pakistan, there is no shortage of targets and the U.S. could probably conduct two predator attacks each and every day and score success.

US strikes Taliban, al Qaeda in North Waziristan

The US has struck at Taliban and al Qaeda targets inside Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agencies for the third time this week. Twenty-five Taliban and al Qaeda operatives are reported to have been killed and several more were wounded in an airstrike in North Waziristan.
Predator strike aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles at a Taliban madrassa and a vehicle in the town of Khaisor, which is just outside of the town of Mir Ali, Geo News reported. The strike reportedly detonated an ammunition dump at the madrassa, causing a massive explosion. No senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders have been reported killed.
The town of Mir Ali is a known stronghold of al Qaeda leader Abu Kasha al Iraqi, an Iraqi national who is also known as Abu Akash. He has close links to the Taliban, a senior US intelligence official told The Long War Journal in January 2007. He serves as the key link between al Qaeda's Shura Majlis, or executive council, and the Taliban.
His responsibilities have expanded to assisting in facilitating al Qaeda's external operations against the West, a senior US military intelligence official told The Long War Journal in October 2008.
Kasha commands two local Pakistani commanders, Imanullah and Haq Nawaz Dawar. These two commanders administer al Qaeda's network in Mir Ali. Kasha also has a working relationship and close communication with the Uzbek terror groups, including the Islamic Jihad Group run by Najimuddin al Uzbeki, who also operates out of North Waziristan.
The US has targeted Abu Kasha's network several times since the air campaign heated up in Pakistan's northwest. Abu Kasha was thought to have been killed in an attack in North Waziristan in October 2008, but Taliban fighters said he survived the strike and "is healthy and very much in his routine."
The last attack that targeted Abu Kasha's network took place on March 26, 2009. Five Taliban and al Qaeda fighters were killed after Predators targeted a compound run by a local Taliban commander.
Today's attack is the third inside Pakistan in the past week and the third this month. The last attack took place on May 12, when Predators targeted a compound in Baitullah Mehsud's tribal area. Eight Taliban and al Qaeda fighters were reported killed.
The US is set to exceed last year's total of 36 airstrikes in Pakistan. Today’s strike is the nineteenth inside Pakistan this year. Only four of those strikes have taken place in North Waziristan. Eleven airstrikes have taken place in South Waziristan, two strikes were in Kurram, one in was in Arakzai, and one more was in Bannu.