Iqbal Khattak, a Peshawar-based journalist for the Daily Times newspaper, says for the army to be successful in South Waziristan, it will also be crucial for it to exploit tribal tensions that exist between the Mehsuds and Wazirs, the two major clans in the region.

VOA: standard.2009.06.18

He says finding that out will be crucial. "Whether this was an act of terrorism conducted by al-Qaida central or that of a lone wolf acting independently, we will have to wait and see for the investigation and what comes out of that, but we do know that al-Qaida and their affiliates have a crazed obsession in targeting the aviation industry,"

VOA: standard.2009.12.27