Context
Around 150 men carrying heavy weapons and rockets stormed a security checkpoint in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal area on Thursday night, leaving eight soldiers dead, according to intelligence officials. Twelve attackers were also killed in counterattack by armed forces. The attack happened in Makeen, a town on the border between South and North Waziristan, at a time when America has stepped up drone strikes in the areas along the Afghan border. The US has been urging Pakistan to launch a ground operation in North Waziristan, which is known as a stronghold of Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters.
