The deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers in November added to anger already felt by Pakistanis over the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden at a compound in Pakistan in May, and continued American drone strikes on targets in the nation.

Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, accused Pakistan's intelligence service of protecting the Haqqani network, calling it a "veritable arm" of the Pakistan spy agency. As a result, he said Pakistan bore some responsibility for the attacks.

The combined effect was a chilling of Pakistani cooperation with the United States.