US drones launched a number of missile attacks against the South Waziristan Agency of Pakistan overnight, killing at least 21 people and wounding an unknown number of others. The strikes destroyed two homes and a religious school in the tribal area as well as a vehicle.
The victims of the attacks were unknown but Pakistani officials say they believe that foreigners were among the slain in the attack on the vehicle. The US, as usual, did not offer any comment on the attacks.
The strikes come just days after a separate attack on South Waziristan which officials say they believe killed Ilyas Kashmiri, a militant faction leader they blame for the 2008 Mumbai attack. It is the second time Kashmiri was “confirmed” killed in a US drone attack, the previous being in September of 2009.
Pakistan’s government had been demanding the end to the US drone strikes over rising evidence that most of the people being killed were just random tribesmen. The news of Kashmiri’s latest death appears to have stalled those concerns, at least for the time being. The deaths of militant leaders in Waziristan have a notorious history of being temporary, however, and if he reemerges it will likely renew concerns about the program.
US pattern in Pakistan:
1. US drones wedding party, children gathering wood, women at bridal shower, school, etc. "killing" Al Qaeda operatives 1 thru (# of women and children murdered).
2. Pakistani government pretends to be outraged.
3. US reluctantly "apologizes" while crossing its [middle] fingers behind its back.
4. US drones wedding party, children gathering wood, women at bridal shower, school, etc. "killing" Al Qaeda operatives 1 thru (# of women and children massacred) .
Repeat steps 1 thru 4.
What ridiculousness- these guys use their families as shields. Also Women can never leave the house so they will often be killed if their husband is involved in militant activity. What a disgrace to intelligence to think that the U.S. would target wedding parties and children, etc…Yes these people often of killed, but the militants know this and use it and you are facilitating their propaganda.
Are you saying that Pakistanis use their families as shields against drone bombs? Surely, even you can't be that utterly stupid. You may be on high quantities of hallucinogens, however, that may make you regret every stupid thing you say or type while under its influence.
How can this comment be considered popular? It is as mindless as Fox news. Yes nice use of emotional information, but with an absolute lack of understanding of the world. Maybe this person should be an ad visor to Sara Palin or Ron Paul.
Is that so? Apparently, the only one here that has zero understanding of what is happening in Pakistan is you and the troll above you and you may very well be both. Apparently, Pakistan is now turning into a sore point if the US has seen it fit to deploy its army of trolls to post propaganda, lies and mind numbing bullshit on AntiWar. Sad, sad, sad.
Pure terrorism.
The US has always been driven by its parochial interest in Pakistan. It had traditionally sided with compliant authoritarian dictators to serve its immediate goals. It unwittingly fed the flames of fundamentalist extremism advanced by the likes of Gen Ziaul Haq in the 1980s through material support to the Mujahedeen against the Soviets in Afghanistan. If the same Mujahedeen have since morphed into the extremists of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda variety in the post-Soviet period, it has only itself to blame. Neither tinpot dictators of the past nor the mafia-dons of the present Pakistani administration serve its national interests. The impotence of the regime stands in sharp relief in the routine unmanned drone attacks on Pakistanis – further fuelling the extremism that has come to hold sway in that country. Any pretense to sovereignty lies in tatters as the US continues to kill at will. It would take a lot more than an indicted felon like Zardari to stand up to the systematic dismantling of the Pakistani nation. Pakistan today stands on the verge of imploding – thanks largely to its partnership with the US in the so-called "war on terror".
It's quite clear the US is trying to force pakistans hand into a war that is good for no one exept the military industrial complex.They care less about lives in Pakastan or the US.The US government I hope everthing they do backfires on them.They think people are dumb and some are but anyone smart nows you are pure evil acting like the worlds saviors when you will be the cause of a war bloodier than all the ones previous probably put together.You have no bissness doing anything you are doing guess nukes don't worrie you because the bpeople starting the wars will scurry like roaches into underground citys well the people they lie and say they are protecting die cowards.I keep hearing people are waking up well if so they don't show it.There government is going to kill them with fauls flags followed by real war worse than ever before.GOD help us and the people being killed already every day buy these evil governments.