US halts ground raids into Pakistan

NEW YORK: The United States is refraining from using its special forces on Pakistani territory following a raid nearly two months ago that resulted in civilian casualties and vehement protests from Islamabad, The New York Times reported.
The US military has stepped up attacks on militants in Pakistani territory since a new civilian government came to power in Islamabad in March, and the incidents have become an issue in the US presidential election.
But while ground raids have stopped, attacks by remotely piloted Predator aircraft, which are operated by the Central Intelligence Agency, have increased sharply in the past three months, the report said.
There were at least 18 Predator strikes since the beginning of August, some deep inside Pakistan's tribal areas, compared with five strikes during the first seven months of 2008, the paper noted..