Afghan Pullout Wouldn’t End US Drone Strikes

Officials Say Program Could Continue for Years Against Pakistan

While in the past the CIA has expressed concerns that an end to the military occupation of Afghanistan would seriously complicate their drone war in neighboring Pakistan, officials are now saying it’s not a big concern.

Officials now say that with or without the occupation, the CIA program in Pakistan could continue on for many years to come. The CIA is said to have made unspecified arrangements to keep the drones flying.

Exactly what that means is unclear, but the CIA program has in the past used Afghanistan as a staging area for drone strikes, and also operated out of military Forward Operating Bases along the border to recruit spies in the tribal areas.

Without a military occupation, the CIA could likely continue some operations inside Afghanistan, but it would be much harder for them to cover up the nature of the program.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.