US-Pakistan Tensions Rise as Drone Strikes Pound Tribal Areas
US Kills 10 in Latest North Waziristan Attack
Last weekend’s attempts to open the Pakistan-Afghanistan border failed, and US-Pakistan relations are taking another turn for the worse as the US has launched a flurry of new drone strikes against the North Waziristan tribal area.
Fresh off of yesterday’s strike near Miramshah, which reportedly killed as many as 10 people, a new strike has pounded a village just outside of Mir Ali, killing 10 more “suspects.” Today’s strike also damaged a local mosque.
Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Ali Khan slammed the strikes, saying that they are a violation of Pakistan’s “territorial integrity” and “in contravention of international law. They are illegal, counter productive and totally unacceptable.”
The US has shrugged off repeated complaints about the drone strikes, but is issuing its own condemnations centering around Pakistan’s conviction of a doctor for treason, related to his role in a CIA operation that pretended to immunize Pakistani children but instead collected their DNA to screen for possible terrorist relatives. US officials argue that since the plan ended with the death of Osama bin Laden, the sentence is unfair.
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Jason
May 24th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Drones are nothing more than outlaw killing machines. The time is now for Pakistan to target these monstrocities, and shoot them down. Furthermore, Pakistan MUST use the threat of its nuclear deterent if Uncle Sam fails to get the idea..
Shule
May 24th, 2012 at 10:10 pm
Sounds like the U.S.A. is now at war with Pakistan. Only thing is the Pakistani government doesn't want to realize it, and the U.S.A. government doesn't declare it.
the Lion
May 25th, 2012 at 7:13 am
The last war declared by the United States of America was with Thailand during WWII in 1943.
Time for those Drones to have malfunctions, of the 20 mm kind, the Mirages have 20 mm Cannons, they should be used!
Stefan Reich
May 25th, 2012 at 8:00 am
MUST use their nuclear deterrent? Oh please. The time is so over.
drdhesq
May 25th, 2012 at 9:16 am
Right on. The Pakistan air force could easily clear the skies of drones if allowed.
City Buddha
May 25th, 2012 at 10:50 am
Both countries are scamming each other and have themselves locked into an old fashion Western but fought in Pakistan with current technology. So as Mom's cheese cake is delivered to the Int Space Station, more kids are dying of disease and starvation, not just in Africa but in our on local streets of North America. Anytime an Afghan fights back he/she is considered an al-Qaeda freedom fighter. An Afghan farmer is tilling his field when suddenly he gets snuffed out infront of his family. But as long as we have the latest Andriod OS we are good to go.
Jaime
May 25th, 2012 at 11:08 am
This is the way the US has of venting its despleasure with the conviction of the traitor: by killing innocents.
Bruce Richardson
May 26th, 2012 at 11:37 am
The U.S. continues to violate Pakistan's sovereignty and dictate as to who should be tried for treason. By what right does the U.S. attack a sovereign country in violation of international LAW and dominate the judical process of another country?
We torture, we attack and go to war without Congressional authority and without legal and or moral justification, we hire drug lords and terrorist to serve as proxy-militia in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia. kill thousands of civilians with our drone program and air assault, and wer'e supposed to be the "good Guys.' When does the world realize that it is not the hyped-up and amorphous al-Qaeda that are the terrorists, it is the U.S.
Washingtonsucks
May 26th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Stefan is right, nuclear weapons are not the answer. Just where would Pakistan target nukes without threatening the safety of it's own citizens?
I would like to see Pakistan do something, either they feel they will come out on the short end of any retaliation or they just don't have the assets needed.
tiozapata
May 27th, 2012 at 6:26 am
The World's #1 terrorist nation; fascist amerika continues its war on the World ! The great irony is that with every atrocity, every act of oppression; imperialist amerika seals its fate as a doomed, failing empire !