Having drawn down the number of drone strikes against Pakistani territory to almost nothing in recent months, the US was surprisingly aggressive today in North Waziristan, launching two strikes in 24 hours, killing 16 people.
The first attack killed six “suspects,” in Dargah Mandi, destroying a truck and setting a nearby house on fire. The second strike hit in Dande Darpakhel village, killing 10 people and wounding four others.
Though the Pakistani government is back to the old strategy of labeling everyone slain “suspects,” none of the victims in either attack were actually named, and there was no indication the US even suspected they had a high-profile target in sight.
There has been speculation that the recent calm was in part due to almost having killed POW Bowe Bergdahl in previous strikes in the region, and some were predicting Bergdahl’s recovery might give the US a free hand to escalate the attacks again. Whether today’s attacks portend a new escalation or are a one-off situation remains to be seen.
Wrong analysis. The reason for the drone strikes is because the Pakistani government has asked for them because of the attacks at the airport. We have become essentially the air force for our pathetic tyrannical client governments in the region. Look at Iraq now. They are asking us to conduct air strikes on the insurgents. Again, we have meddled ourselves way too much.
Here we go again – MURDER by drone._Whether the Pakistani Government asked for them or not – this will only attract more people who HATE AMERCA – with good reason._There is NO EXCUSE FOR KILLING PEOPLE AND THEN CLAIMING THEY ARE "TERRORISTS"_