Drone Campaign Escalates in Pakistan

The CIA is escalating its drone attacks in Pakistan, borrowing Predator and Reaper drones from the Pentagon to wage the fight against militants—which the U.S. says the Pakistani military is unable or unwilling to do. Last month, drone attacks increased to five per week, on average, up from about two or three a week. "When it comes to drones, there's no mission more important right now than hitting targets in the tribal areas, and that's where additional equipment's gone," one U.S. official said. American forces say that to make progress in Afghanistan, it must destroy the terrorist sanctuaries across the border, but the sharp spike in attacks is also intended to foil a possible terror plot, led by Osama bin Laden, in Western Europe.