American man kidnapped by assailants in Pakistan 13 Aug 2011 15:48 | Source: Reuter
* Warren Weinstein taken from his residence in Lahore
* Anti-U.S. sentiment running high in Pakistan
* Weinstein well-known in development, aid circles

Alternet
LAHORE, Pakistan, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Several assailants broke into a house in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore in the pre-dawn hours on Saturday, overcame security guards and kidnapped a U.S. man identified as an international development expert, police said.

In Washington, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman identified the man as Warren Weinstein.

Weinstein has been identified as working for J.E. Austin & Associates, an Arlington, Virginia-based consulting firm, on a development project in lawless tribal areas where Pakistani troops have been battling Islamist insurgents for years.

  Read more at Alternet

"Six to eight people broke into his house at around 3:30 a.m., when security guards on duty were making preparation for fasting," police official Tajamal Hussain told Reuters, referring to the Ramadan fast observed by Muslims.

"Two of the assailants came from the front gate while about six others used the back door. They tortured the guards and then took the American with them."

A security official familiar with the incident said the gunmen forced the man's driver to knock on his bedroom door. When the man opened it, they took him.

Hussain said the victim, in his 60s, had been living in Pakistan for five to six years. He mostly lived in Islamabad but had been travelling to Lahore.

The security official said there had been no claim of responsibility.

The State Department spokeswoman, Joann Moore, said, "We are working with local authorities on the investigation." Moore added that members of Weinstein's family were receiving support from the U.S. consulate in Lahore.

Clinton: Libya no-fly zone under active consideration

Foreign Policy

Posted By Josh Rogin Tuesday, March 1, 2011 - 12:41 P

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that the administration is actively considering implementing a no-fly zone over Libya and gave a full-throated defense of robust State Department funding.

Clinton testified on Tuesday morning before the House Foreign Affairs Committee led by Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), who has been critical of the administration's response to the unfolding events in the Arab world and has pledged to slash the State Department and foreign aid budgets this year.

Clinton had just returned from Geneva, where she met with other foreign ministers under the auspices of the U.N. Human Rights Council. She said preparations were underway to aid the Libyan opposition, but that there have been no final decisions on whether or how to use the U.S. military to support the ouster of Muammar al-Qaddafi, as world leaders have called for.

"We are working to translate the world's outrage into action and results," Clinton said, highlighting that USAID is sending two teams, one each to Egypt and Tunisia, to aid the humanitarian response to the flow of refugees coming from Libya.

The United States has moved the USS Enterprise carrier strike group to the area near Libya. Clinton said that military assets are being repositioned now to support the humanitarian mission there, but that direct military intervention remained a possibility.

"One of those actions under review is a no fly zone... it is under active consideration," said Clinton.

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