Pakistan raid may signal more U.S. attacks

By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. commandos attacked an al Qaeda target in Pakistan this week in an operation that could signal more intense American efforts to thwart militant attacks in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The Bush administration has not officially acknowledged any involvement in the Wednesday attack on the South Waziristan village of Angor Adda that killed up to 20 people, including women and children, according to Pakistani officials.

Pentagon officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the raid by special operations forces targeted suspected operatives in an effort to disrupt militant safe havens in Pakistan that pose an escalating threat to U.S., NATO and Afghan forces just across the border.

The safe havens also represent a leading security threat to the United States and U.S. allies, including European states, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials.

In a separate incident on Thursday, a missile attack by a suspected U.S. drone killed four Islamist militants and wounded five other in nearby North Waziristan, Pakistani security officials and witnesses said.

Militants operating along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border are believed to include al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who remains at large seven years after the September 11 attacks.

U.S. officials said activities in safe haven areas, including recruiting and training, have become bolder over the past year while political turmoil in Pakistan led to diminished pressure on militants from the Pakistani military.

"The question for debate has been: 'Can you allow that to go unhampered?,'" said one military official.