Geopolitical Monitor - Region: South Asia

Mar. 12th (BBC News) - Two suicide bombers have killed at least 45 people in the Pakistani city of Lahore, officials say.

ISLAMABAD, Mar. 11th (Dawn) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai told Pakistan on Thursday his country did not want to become a battle ground for proxy wars and welcomed an offer from Islamabad to help with peace efforts.

Mar. 8th (Raw Story) - The US military has used drones to attack suspected terrorists in Pakistan since at least 2004. Proponents of the small, unmanned planes say they are capable of "surgical strikes" that reduce civilian casualties and effectively combat terrorism.

Mar. 7 (BBC News) - A US-born spokesman for al-Qaeda has been arrested in Karachi, Pakistani security officials have said.

TEHRAN, Mar. 2nd (AFP) - Iran's atomic chief on Tuesday accused the new UN nuclear watchdog head, Yukiya Amano, of taking sides against Tehran's atomic programme but said he hoped the Japanese official would modify his stand.

MUMBAI, Feb. 25 (Wall Street Journal) - India plans to allocate 1.47 trillion rupees ($31.71 billion) to defense spending for the next fiscal year, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Friday while presenting the annual budget in Parliament.

Feb. 28 (BBC News) - A roadside bomb has killed 11 civilians in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, officials say.

PESHAWAR, Feb. 25 (Dawn) - A top Al-Qaeda operative Qazi Zafar suspected of being involved in the US consulate Karachi bombing has been killed in a US drone strike in Dandi Darpakhel village near North Waziristan’s main town of Miramshah on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 23 (CP) — The recent arrests of Afghan Taliban leaders in Pakistan were the result of intelligence breakthroughs and none was involved in reconciliation talks with the Afghan government, the U.S. general who oversees the war in Afghanistan said Tuesday.

Feb. 22 (Al Jazeera) - At least 15 people have died after a suicide bomber blew himself up among a tribal leaders and government officials meeting recently returned Afghan refugees in eastern Nangarhar province.