CIA steps up drone activity in Pakistan

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- The CIA has stepped up its unmanned aerial bombing campaign in Pakistan as part of an effort to thwart Taliban insurgents, U.S. officials said.

The CIA initiated 20 attacks with armed drones so far in September, as top officials work to stem the rise of U.S. casualties before the Obama administration's review of its Afghanistan strategy in December, The New York Times reported Tuesday. U.S. and European officials also are assessing reports of possible terrorist activities in the West from militants based in Pakistan.

The war along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region is picking up in other ways, including three airstrikes into Pakistan that U.S. military officials estimate killed more than 50 suspected members the Haqqani militant network, a Taliban ally. Pakistani officials have criticized the attacks, saying that NATO's mandate in Afghanistan does not extend into Pakistan.

U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Afghanistan, recently issued veiled warnings to Pakistani commanders that the United States could launch unilateral ground operations in the tribal areas if Pakistan refuses to dismantle the militant networks, U.S. officials told the Times.

"Petraeus wants to turn up the heat on the safe havens," one senior administration official said. "He has pointed out to the Pakistanis that they could do more."

The terror plot is believed to target several countries, including Britain, France and Germany, officials told The Wall Street Journal. The exact nature of the threat hasn't been determined.

"There are some pretty notable threat streams," one U.S. military official said.