Police work

Hard to say if it's a direct result of the change in U.S. leadership, but this is certainly an example of improved tactics.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistani police acting on a tip from U.S. intelligence agents arrested an al-Qaida suspect believed linked to the 2005 London transit bombings, two Pakistani security officials said Thursday.

Zabi ul Taifi, a Saudi national, was among seven al-Qaida suspects caught in a raid near the main northwest city of Peshawar, they told The Associated Press. They said the raid was witnessed by U.S. intelligence officials sitting in a nearby car.

They said an unmanned spy plane and three helicopters hovered over the area during the raid on a house on the outskirts of the city, which has long been a hub of militant activity.

The arrests appear to be a fresh blow to al-Qaida in Pakistan, which is already under fire from stepped up U.S. missile strikes on militant targets in Pakistani regions bordering Afghanistan.

They also suggested that Islamabad and Washington are cooperating behind the scenes in targeting al-Qaida and Taliban militants holed up close to the Afghan border, despite tensions over the missile strikes, which Pakistan has routinely protested.

Cooperation with the Pakistani police, and finally treating these suspects like accused criminals and not super-scary 10-foot tall al Qaeda monsters is a welcome change. And keeping the Pakistani intelligence forces out of the picture, as seems to be the case here, may bring welcome results.