Brigadier Assassinated in Islamabad

A top army officer was gunned down in the Pakistani capital today as the military continued to push into the Taliban's Waziristan sanctuary. Brigadier Moinudin Ahmed, head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan, was shot dead  along with his driver by suspected militants on a motorbike as their jeep moved through rush-hour traffic in Islamabad. Authorities believe the killing was a direct reprisal for the anti-Taliban offensive, reports the New York Times.

Today's attack is believed to be the first targeted attack on a senior army officer in Islamabad and likely signals a change in tactics by the insurgents, who have demonstrated their ability to strike anywhere in the country with a series of bombings in recent weeks. Military officials say the offensive in Waziristan is making progress on several fronts and is closing in on the hometown of the Taliban's Pakistani leader.
(More South Waziristan stories.)