Many high-profile terrorist incidents ranging from the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington to the July 7, 2005 subway bombings in London to the November 2008 assault on Mumbaihave had direct connections to individuals and groups operating in Pakistan. Islamist militants based there also regularly launch attacks on government and coalition targets in Afghanistan. Such violence inflicts significant human and economic
costs on the international community, threatens to incite a regional conflagration with India, and undermines international efforts to stabilize
Southwest Asia.