Pakistan Rejects US Drone Strikes Beyond Tribal Areas
US Seeks to Target Balochistan With Drones
US officials have been pressuring Pakistan to allow the expansion of CIA drone strikes beyond the nation’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and into Pakistan’s largest province of Balochistan.
Pakistani intelligence officials reportedly rejected the US demand for access to Balochistan, but did agree to a compromise allowing a larger number of CIA agents to operate on the ground in the Baloch capital city of Quetta.
The US has been launching drone strikes against FATA for years, but has dramatically increased the numbers since President Obama took office. The vast majority of those killed in the strikes appear to have been innocent civilians, and only a handful of militant leaders were ever killed.
The prospect of escalating those strikes into Balochistan would also be hugely unpopular, as Pakistanis have complained about the attacks in FATA, only nominally Pakistani territory to begin with, and would undoubtedly object much more loudly to attacks in an actual Pakistani province.
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Cat_on_line
November 19th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
What is worse….Having drones dropping bombs from the sky or CIA planting bombs in crowded civilian areas?
JDonald
November 20th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Why does the USA have to interfere with any other country's business? Just pack up and go home to the many home problems that confront the nation. It is very apparent that occupation of foreign lands by the USA and Israel have stimulated violence and hatred around the world. When will America learn to be "Christian" in their international affairs?
Jaime
November 20th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Pakistan is in areal fix. Its corrupt elites want the dirty American money with which they are bought. On the other hand, they are scared as hell the whole killing program may get out of hand and people may rise against the regime. Let's remember these people are not the brainwashed, the fools that love to watch American Idol, the empty-headed that sit down to munch their junk and get fat in the process. They may be poor but they are a proud people, and the day they get fed up, their politicians will pay with their lives.