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[quoteUS Drone Attack Kills 16 in Pakistan; A Never Ending Pakistan’s Drone Dilemma
Jul 25th, 2010
Reported by: Soha crwenewswire Mideast correspondent.
A suspected US drone strike has killed 16 people in Pakistan’s tribal area of South Waziristan.
Ghafoor Shah a local government official said that the drone fired at least five missiles at a suspected militant compound in Dwasarak village of South Waziristan, a district in Pakistan’s tribal region in South Waziristan. Dwasark is close to the Afghan border in the Angoor Adda area.
Scores of people are reported to have been injured during the strike. However no independent sources were available to verify whether the killed ones were really militants and had any links with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Two intelligence officials one in Peshawar and one based in Wana, also confirmed the attack. South Waziristan is considered a militant stronghold.
This is not the first time that USA has, launched a drone attack inside Pakistan. Unmanned drone attacks have been carried out in Pakistan since 2004. During the government of George W Bush in USA these strikes were launched as part of the USA War against Terror aimed at targeting militants in the Af-Pak border area.
Drone attacks are carried out by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) operated from the Creech Air force Base and are being continued during the Obama administration.
Later media reports revealed that these attacks are actually launched from the Shamsi Air base in Pakistan.
Since 2004, 77 drone attacks have been launched in Pakistan. 834 people are reported to have lost their lives in these attacks. Later sources revealed that not even one quarter of those killed were terrorists but were innocent civilians. Top US officials have also confessed last year that less than 8 top Al-Qaeda operatives have been targeted in these attacks yet these Drone attacks have taken the lives of 834 good people.
In May 2009, in testimony before the US Congress, US advisor to Gen David Kilmullen, asked the Obama administration to call off the attacks stating `We have killed only 14 senior Al-Qaeda leaders since 2006 and in the same period, killed over 700 Pakistani civilians`.
Drone attacks have always drawn severe criticism from all sections of the Pakistani society. These are considered a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. Pakistani political parties have constantly demanding the government to bring an end to these attacks. The question being raised is that if the drone attacks are not being able to achieve their desired purpose then why are they being continued?
The answer is again a conspiracy theory. USA wants the tribals to rebel against the Government of Pakistan, and create a civil war like the situation in the country, a situation that would create a justification for the USA to deprive Pakistan of its nuclear arsenal.
The political parties are of the view that these drone attacks are a source of instilling terrorism rather than eradicating it. The relatives of the civilians killed during these attacks take revenge on the Government of Pakistan. Many arrested terrorists revealed during interrogations that they were actually taking revenge for the brutal murder of their loved ones by these attacks.
The parliament of Pakistan also passed a resolution condemning these drone attacks and demanded an immediate halt to them. The resolution was answered by another drone attack by the USA the same evening.
It is said that the drone attacks are also a violation of international laws and the UN may play a role in it. But the CIA chief Leon Panetta said that their duty is defending America and that doesn’t requires any permission. The question that is being raised is how is the CIA or the USA defending America by having unmanned Drones kill innocent Pakistani civilians.
One Pakistani government official said that Pakistan had to tolerate these attacks as it doesn’t have the technology to shoot down these drones. The Air Force Chief negated the claim saying that Pakistan has the ability but that would require permission of the head of state.
Sources say that Pakistan is in talks with its long time ally China and other countries to attain the drone technology.
The USA has never officially given a confirmation of any of these attacks. Sometimes a few US officials have said that these attacks are being carried out with the consent of the Pakistani government. But the Pakistani officials say that these attacks are actually imposed on them as the Americans simply decline to discuss the issue. The American media reports however repeatedly say that such attacks have a tacit understanding and approval of Pakistan’s military.
Pakistan has often asked USA to give it the drone technology but the Americans don’t agree with it. They fear that it maybe used against their `strategic ally` in the region; India. USA`S obvious tilt towards India in preference over Pakistan’s interest has always denied it of any kind of public support in Pakistan.
This is the reason that a large majority in Pakistan doesn’t believe in the War against Terror and consider it America’s war. Although Pakistani and American politicians always try their best to make Pakistanis believe that this is actually their war of survival. The killing of Pakistani civilians make the country believe otherwise.
Nobody in Pakistan knows when these drone attacks will come to an end but there is a consensus on one thing that these attacks have been counter productive both in emotional and military terms.
][/quote]
[quoteUS Drone Attack Kills 16 in Pakistan; A Never Ending Pakistan’s Drone Dilemma
Jul 25th, 2010
Reported by: Soha crwenewswire Mideast correspondent.
A suspected US drone strike has killed 16 people in Pakistan’s tribal area of South Waziristan.
Ghafoor Shah a local government official said that the drone fired at least five missiles at a suspected militant compound in Dwasarak village of South Waziristan, a district in Pakistan’s tribal region in South Waziristan. Dwasark is close to the Afghan border in the Angoor Adda area.
Scores of people are reported to have been injured during the strike. However no independent sources were available to verify whether the killed ones were really militants and had any links with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Two intelligence officials one in Peshawar and one based in Wana, also confirmed the attack. South Waziristan is considered a militant stronghold.
This is not the first time that USA has, launched a drone attack inside Pakistan. Unmanned drone attacks have been carried out in Pakistan since 2004. During the government of George W Bush in USA these strikes were launched as part of the USA War against Terror aimed at targeting militants in the Af-Pak border area.
Drone attacks are carried out by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) operated from the Creech Air force Base and are being continued during the Obama administration.
Later media reports revealed that these attacks are actually launched from the Shamsi Air base in Pakistan.
Since 2004, 77 drone attacks have been launched in Pakistan. 834 people are reported to have lost their lives in these attacks. Later sources revealed that not even one quarter of those killed were terrorists but were innocent civilians. Top US officials have also confessed last year that less than 8 top Al-Qaeda operatives have been targeted in these attacks yet these Drone attacks have taken the lives of 834 good people.
In May 2009, in testimony before the US Congress, US advisor to Gen David Kilmullen, asked the Obama administration to call off the attacks stating `We have killed only 14 senior Al-Qaeda leaders since 2006 and in the same period, killed over 700 Pakistani civilians`.
Drone attacks have always drawn severe criticism from all sections of the Pakistani society. These are considered a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. Pakistani political parties have constantly demanding the government to bring an end to these attacks. The question being raised is that if the drone attacks are not being able to achieve their desired purpose then why are they being continued?
The answer is again a conspiracy theory. USA wants the tribals to rebel against the Government of Pakistan, and create a civil war like the situation in the country, a situation that would create a justification for the USA to deprive Pakistan of its nuclear arsenal.
The political parties are of the view that these drone attacks are a source of instilling terrorism rather than eradicating it. The relatives of the civilians killed during these attacks take revenge on the Government of Pakistan. Many arrested terrorists revealed during interrogations that they were actually taking revenge for the brutal murder of their loved ones by these attacks.
The parliament of Pakistan also passed a resolution condemning these drone attacks and demanded an immediate halt to them. The resolution was answered by another drone attack by the USA the same evening.
It is said that the drone attacks are also a violation of international laws and the UN may play a role in it. But the CIA chief Leon Panetta said that their duty is defending America and that doesn’t requires any permission. The question that is being raised is how is the CIA or the USA defending America by having unmanned Drones kill innocent Pakistani civilians.
One Pakistani government official said that Pakistan had to tolerate these attacks as it doesn’t have the technology to shoot down these drones. The Air Force Chief negated the claim saying that Pakistan has the ability but that would require permission of the head of state.
Sources say that Pakistan is in talks with its long time ally China and other countries to attain the drone technology.
The USA has never officially given a confirmation of any of these attacks. Sometimes a few US officials have said that these attacks are being carried out with the consent of the Pakistani government. But the Pakistani officials say that these attacks are actually imposed on them as the Americans simply decline to discuss the issue. The American media reports however repeatedly say that such attacks have a tacit understanding and approval of Pakistan’s military.
Pakistan has often asked USA to give it the drone technology but the Americans don’t agree with it. They fear that it maybe used against their `strategic ally` in the region; India. USA`S obvious tilt towards India in preference over Pakistan’s interest has always denied it of any kind of public support in Pakistan.
This is the reason that a large majority in Pakistan doesn’t believe in the War against Terror and consider it America’s war. Although Pakistani and American politicians always try their best to make Pakistanis believe that this is actually their war of survival. The killing of Pakistani civilians make the country believe otherwise.
Nobody in Pakistan knows when these drone attacks will come to an end but there is a consensus on one thing that these attacks have been counter productive both in emotional and military terms.
][/quote]
