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U.S. helicopters inserted Afghanistan-based troops outside the Pakistani town of Musa Nikow in South Waziristan early Sept. 3. The troops also raided at least three houses in the neighboring village of Jalal Khel. According to Pakistani reports, between 15 and 20 villagers were killed, including women and children. The desire to capture a handful of high-value targets in Jalal Khel appears to have motivated the particularly bold cross-border raid, according to eyewitnesses and Pakistani security officials.
While not the first time U.S. troops have crossed the border in pursuit of Taliban fighters (U.S. special operations forces and CIA teams regularly engage in covert cross-border activity), this is the most overt full-scale U.S. raid on targets within Pakistan, something that Stratfor forecast.
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