US Drone Strikes Kill 33 in Past 24 Hours in Pakistan
Attack Targeted 'Associate' of Maulvi Nazir
A pair of US drone strikes against Pakistan’s South Waziristan Agency have killed at least 33 people, 16 in South Waziristan and 17 in North Waziristan and wounded four others in the past 24 hours. The majority of the slain “suspects” were unidentified.
The one identified person was Malang Jan, killed in South Waziristan. Jan is identified as an “associate” of Maulvi Nazir, a warlord in South Waziristan who has remained on good terms with the Pakistani government, but who is frequently targeted by the US. Another attack targeted his funeral.
Pakistan’s government has regularly demanded that the US halt all drone strikes, warning that it is fueling massive amounts of militancy in the tribal areas and making matters worse. The US has spurned this demand, insisting that the missile attacks are a vital part of the ongoing war.
The strikes have had an impact well beyond the tribal areas on which they are launched as well. The significant number of civilian deaths, and the overwhelming number of people killed who are just never identified, have added fuel to a growing anti-US backlash across both Pakistan and the rest of the region.
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Al_Dove
June 4th, 2012 at 3:55 am
New day, same story. "And the beat goes on…"
Nathan
June 4th, 2012 at 7:04 am
I wonder if all the 24 were on the Drone Godfather’s Kill List.
Bruce Richardson
June 4th, 2012 at 7:17 am
What has become of the concept of sovereignity? We lauch missiles against, invade and occupy anyone we choose and to hell with the inviolability of borders and or sovereignity. During another era, such behavior saw the prosecuted and punished lot cast as the "Third Reich" and "Imperial Japan."
pendulum
June 4th, 2012 at 8:22 am
this should go a long way to reopening the pass Afghan.
Doug
June 4th, 2012 at 8:56 am
Why doesn't the Pakistani air force shoot these drones down? They have the air power to do it.
W_ThePoster
June 4th, 2012 at 9:12 am
In Vietnam it was consistently claimed, against evidence, that we were protecting a freedom-loving populace against a menacing minority supported from outside. Our troops were shocked whenever they discovered the truth that we were the outsiders with whom a minority of them had inexplicably allied themselves. In Afghanistan we seem to have abandoned the pretense. We're there to preserve our kind of RULE, and anyone who opposes that is fair game. None of them seem to be dependent upon any outsiders for their activity or their attitudes, and they seem more at one with the population at large than we do.
Johnny_Warbucks
June 4th, 2012 at 9:17 am
Yes, but we understand that they were all "militants" including the 101 year old lady and the woman and her unborn child. Gotta git 'em when they're young, we always says.
And for each one of those 24 innocents, the US has just created 240 enemies. The War of Terror is a bigger cash cow and than Cold War. Creating enemies faster than they can drone them. Yeah!
Johnny_Warbucks
June 4th, 2012 at 9:18 am
Because they're getting paid by the US not to. Duh!
Johnny_Warbucks
June 4th, 2012 at 9:21 am
Only the US and Isreal have the right to claim sovereignty. No one else has the right to have it much less claim it or enforce it. Besides, that's what "foreign aid" is for, to buy the right to go into any country and slaughter their civilians wantonly without any repercussions.
Doug_in_Indiana
June 4th, 2012 at 1:31 pm
Why didn't the USAF shoot down at least one of those aircraft headed for targets in NY and DC? They had the air power to do it.
Roger Lafontaine
June 4th, 2012 at 3:43 pm
Obama should be proud. He heroically 'took out' 33 terrorists. It was so daring, we should give him a medal for it, just like when he took out Osama's stand-in in Abbotabad. No wonder Hollywood always paints Americans as heroes. We're saving the world and making it look easy – just like we have superpowers or something. No wonder our politicians and military leaders don't want to make peace. No War – no fun!