[ti:Pakistan Under Pressure From Wave of Attacks] [ar:Bob Doughty] [al:IN THE NEWS] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]This is IN THE NEWS [00:05.06]in VOA Special English. [00:08.72]Two weeks of suicide bombings [00:11.80]and other attacks have shaken Pakistan. [00:15.30]The interior minister says, [00:17.71]"The enemy has started a guerrilla war." [00:21.51]Taliban leaders in Pakistan say [00:24.81]the campaign is in reaction [00:27.56]to an expected army offensive [00:30.29]against militants in South Waziristan. [00:33.84]Militants are launching attacks [00:37.04]against government and security targets [00:40.14]from bases in tribal areas [00:43.24]on the border with Afghanistan. [00:45.48]On Thursday, [00:47.63]President Obama signed into law [00:50.28]a civilian aid bill for Pakistan. [00:53.38]It offers seven and a half billion dollars [00:57.17]over five years to improve health, [01:00.51]education and security. [01:03.66]But in Pakistan, opposition parties [01:07.16]and the powerful military [01:09.00]have strongly criticized the legislation. [01:12.50]Last week the military objected [01:16.04]to language suggesting [01:17.99]that it supported militant groups. [01:20.95]Now, the civilian government [01:24.05]in Islamabad says the United States [01:26.75]has taken steps to ease Pakistani concerns. [01:31.15]American lawmakers said the language [01:35.70]of the aid package could not be changed. [01:39.00]But on Wednesday, they told [01:41.82]Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi [01:45.63]in Washington that it does not [01:48.22]place any conditions on Pakistan. [01:51.31]The United States considers Pakistan [01:54.91]an important ally in the global fight [01:58.67]against terrorism. [02:00.51]One issue related to that fight [02:04.35]is how to deal with the growing threat [02:07.71]of terrorism from within the United States. [02:12.00]Robert Mueller, director of [02:14.79]the Federal Bureau of Investigation, [02:17.14]spoke last month at a Senate hearing. [02:20.34]He said officials have discovered [02:23.89]a number of plots in recent months [02:26.93]involving "homegrown extremists." [02:30.73]He also expressed concern about Americans [02:34.17]and other Westerners traveling to Pakistan [02:38.11]and Somalia for terrorist training. [02:41.85]The government says [02:43.61]a suspect arrested last month, [02:46.51]Najibullah Zazi, [02:48.50]traveled to Pakistan last year [02:51.21]to train in weapons and explosives. [02:55.40]Officials say he bought materials [02:59.04]to build explosive devices [03:01.30]and traveled to New York City [03:04.70]on September tenth as part [03:07.44]of planning for an attack. [03:09.84]Najibullah Zazi denies [03:12.94]any link to terrorism. [03:15.24]He came to the United States ten years ago [03:19.35]and is a legal permanent resident [03:22.66]from Afghanistan. [03:24.46]He was arrested in Colorado [03:27.35]where he drove an airport bus. [03:29.81]This week, there were reports [03:33.50]that he had contact with al-Qaida leadership. [03:37.20]Intelligence officials said [03:39.78]the head of al-Qaida's operations [03:43.23]in Afghanistan used a middleman [03:46.17]to communicate with him. [03:48.18]Attorney General Eric Holder [03:50.92]has called the case one of [03:53.47]the most serious threats since the attacks [03:59.44]of September eleventh, two thousand one. [04:02.83]In another case, federal officials [04:07.37]are investigating the disappearances [04:10.07]of more than twenty young Somali men. [04:13.66]They were living in the state of Minnesota. [04:17.65]They may have joined al-Shabab, [04:20.95]an anti-government militia [04:23.64]in Somalia tied to al-Qaida. [04:26.84]Shirwa Ahmed was a naturalized [04:30.54]American citizen living [04:32.64]in Minneapolis, Minnesota. [04:35.14]He became the first known [04:38.09]American suicide bomber last October [04:41.23]when he blew himself up in Somalia. [04:45.63]And that's IN THE NEWS [04:48.82]in VOA Special English, [04:51.36]written by Brianna Blake. [04:54.11]I'm Bob Doughty.