Thursday, September 8, 2011

The Not So Secret Drone War In Pakistan


An Open Secret: Drone Warfare In Pakistan -- NPR

Drone warfare is now one of the most fundamental features of the U.S. battle against its enemies. Just don't ask anyone in the government to talk about it.

Since 2004, the United States military has fired about 270 missiles into Pakistan, killing thousands of militants, according to the U.S. government. Dozens of so-called high-value targets have been eliminated, like al-Qaida's No. 2, who was killed in an attack last month.

But since the CIA runs these attacks, they are secret. As a result, no one in the government is supposed to admit they're happening.

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My Comment: In an "ideal world", U.S. intelligence boots on the ground coupled with Pakistani cooperation and the direct involvement of their own military and intelligence assets would be the best way to hunt down and eliminate extremist threats in Pakistan. Unfortunately .... with very limited cooperation from Pakistan .... and no other good alternatives in combating militant Islamic groups like Al Qaeda .... the drone war is the route that our political masters have taken.

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