PAKISTAN AND OPEN SOURCE WARFARE

Source: Global Guerrillas

Here's some background:  The insurgency in Pakistan isn't one modeled on Mao's method (against which US counter-insurgency doctrine is based).  In those 20th Century insurgencies, the effort was run as a replacement for the nation-state, replete with ideological purity, hierarchical leadership, and wings for government functions.  In modern, 21st Century insurgency, the groups that participate are self run (autonomous) and built from different (usually local) motivations/loyalties.  What leads them to work together is a common dream, a plausible promise of what might be.  Pakistan's open source insurgency was sparked into existence by the Red Mosque siege and has now found a plausible promise -- economic and social justice through land distribution and sharia courts.  Rapid growth is sure to follow. 

As a result, you are going to see many more stories like this (although without a full explanation of the warfare theory that drives it):

The alliance is based on more than shared ideology. “These are tactical alliances,” said a senior American counterterrorism official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss intelligence matters. The Pashtun Taliban and Arab militants, who are part of Al Qaeda, have money, sanctuary, training sites and suicide bombers. The Punjabi militants can provide logistical help in Punjabi cities, like Lahore, including handling bombers and target reconnaissance...   One such joint operation, an American security official said, was the Marriott bombing in Islamabad in September, which killed more than 50 people.

Some more reading:

Open Source Warfare   (original 2004 brief)

Open Source Insurgency >> How to start

The OSW (open source war) Underway in Pakistan   NOTE:  The plausible promise of that earlier brief (from 2007) has been achieved in Swat.  It has now morphed into something more aggressive which is expansible to the entire country (as in, beyond Pashtun motivations).

This is going to be a very interesting summer.