Operation Rah-e-Nijat (South Waziristan)

[Xeric]

Awkward Drone Questions for Obama | Mother Jones


Awkward Drone Questions for Obama

— By Nick Baumann
| Thu Jan. 14, 2010 8:39 AM PST
Just where in the Constitution and laws of the United States does President Obama locate the power to have people in nominally friendly countries blown up by our armies of flying robots? On Wednesday, spurred on by reports of the increasing use of drone strikes against suspected terrorists in Pakistan (and corresponding reports of increased civilian casaulties), the American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request (PDF) seeking information about the government's legal justifications for its drone program. In a post on the ACLU's "Blog of Rights," Jonathan Manes explains why the ACLU is doing this:

The use of unmanned drones to target and kill individuals is a profoundly new way of waging war. For the first time, military and intelligence officers can observe, track, and launch missiles at targeted individuals from control centers located thousands of miles away, without any significant U.S. presence on the ground. The technology also permits the United States to target individuals nearly anywhere in the world....

The ACLU believes that the use and proliferation of this tactic must be the subject of public scrutiny and debate. But the government has released essentially no information about the legal basis of and limits on the drone program, or its scope and consequences. The public has been kept in the dark and is therefore unable to assess the wisdom or legality of the strikes. Commentators on all sides agree that these are not questions that should be decided solely by technocrats behind closed doors.

In order to fill this void, the ACLU is asking the government to release basic information about its use of drones to execute targeted killings.

This seems like an eminently reasonable request that can be mostly complied with without violating national security. We'll see what the Obama adminstration thinks.

 

[air marshal]

Three suspects arrested in operation Rah-e-Nijat

RAWALPINDI, Jan 14 (APP): During last 24 hours security forces conducted search and clearance operation at Shangai near Mantoi and recovered cache of arms and ammunition in operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan.

According to ISPR press release, on Jandola sector, terrorists fired with small arms at security forces checkpost at village Sarkai Narai near Janata, which was effectively responded.

On Razmak Sector, terrorists fired with small arms on a check post near Pash Ziarat, which was effectively responded.

Security forces conducted search and clearance operation at Marobi Raghazi, Zhawar, Piazha Band Khel near Dawatoi and recovered cache of arms and ammunition.

As many as 29,599 cash cards have been issued to displaced families of Waziristan.

 

[Xeric]

Pakistan: US War Against Militants Hurting Economy | Asia | English

Pakistan: US War Against Militants Hurting Economy



Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has told a visiting American envoy the U.S. war against militancy in the region has almost "paralyzed" Pakistan's economy.

Mr. Zardari says the war has cost his country about $35 billion over the past eight years. He commented Friday in Lahore during a meeting with Richard Holbrooke, the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Undated US Air Force handout photo shows MQ-9 Reaper, armed with GBU-12 Paveway II laser guided munitions and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles
AP
Undated US Air Force handout photo shows MQ-9 Reaper, armed with GBU-12 Paveway II laser guided munitions and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles

President Zardari also repeated a call for the U.S. to provide Pakistan with drone (pilotless aircraft) technology, saying U.S. drone attacks against militants in Pakistan have undermined his country's "national consensus" on the war against terror.

Attacks by pilotless drones have increased in Afghanistan and Pakistan since a suicide bomber killed seven U.S. intelligence agents in eastern Afghanistan, last month. At least 12 alleged militants were killed Thursday in a suspected U.S. drone strike in northwest Pakistan.

On Thursday, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also reiterated criticism of the drone attacks, calling them counterproductive in a speech to parliament.

Pakistani officials publicly protest the attacks, but they are believed to secretly cooperate with U.S. efforts to locate militant targets.

Meanwhile, Pakistani news agencies say Holbrooke also assured President Zardari that Pakistan will soon be provided almost $350 million in aid and $125 million to support upgrades at the Tarbala power plant.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

 

[air marshal]

Pakistan Taliban leader escapes air attack

By Farhan Bokhari and Matthew Green in Islamabad

Published: January 15 2010 02:00 | Last updated: January 15 2010 02:00

The leader of Pakistan's Taliban, who is suspected of involvement in the bombing of a Central Intelligence Agency base in Afghanistan, narrowly escaped a strike by US drones yesterday that killed 13 suspected militants, Pakistani security officials said.

A senior Pakistani official said Hakimullah Mehsud may have been wounded when missiles hit a compound where he was believed to have been hiding. The CIA has launched a string of attacks on targets in Pakistan's tribal areas since last month's suicide attack on their base in eastern Afghanistan.

"For the Americans, Hakimullah Mehsud is now their public enemy number one. They want to target him at any cost," the Pakistani security official told the Financial Times. "It was a close call for Hakimullah. He seems lucky to have survived."

Video footage aired at the weekend showed Mr Mehsud seated next to a Jordanian doctor-turned suicide bomber, who managed to kill seven CIA personnel in the bombing of the base.

The CIA attack followed an elaborate game of espionage in which the Jordanian, Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, had managed to convince CIA agents that he might be able to offer them valuable information in their hunt for the leaders of al-Qaeda.

The video represented a propaganda coup for Mr Mehsud, by showing his group was involved in an attack that inflicted the worst single-day losses on the CIA since the Beirut embassy bombing in 1983. It also propelled him higher up the league of the CIA's most wanted targets.

The missile strike yesterday triggered a swirl of rumours that Mr Mehsud might have met the same fate as his predecessor as the head of Pakistan's Taliban movement, Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed by a CIA drone strike in August.

A US official commenting on reports of Mr Mehsud's possible death said: "While that's not something I can confirm, the world would certainly be better off without him."

Azam Tariq, for the Pakistan Taliban, denied reports Mr Mehsud had been killed. "He is safe. These are just rumours. He was not there when the attack took place," he told Reuters.

FT.com / UK - Pakistan Taliban leader escapes air attack

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

lucky, sorry sonofabitch.

by God he'll be cornered soon. By God.

 

[blain2]

We need to be on the watch. Usually whenever the TTP leadership is attacked, they carry out one of their murderous attacks against civilians or government targets.

 

[Dr-Sangeen]

I have been contributing to this forum for almost two months now. During this i time i have fought with the sheer arrogance of the moderators and admins of this forum.

The final straw was when they closed my welcome thread, as some of my friends were posting there.

I asked them for a reason and the reply was and i quote " i shall consider myself lucky that it was allowed for that long..."

No I don't consider myself lucky at all, they shall consider themselves lucky that people, like myself, waste their time by posting on this web page.

As far as i am concern if my welcome thread is not good enough to be here then they don't deserve to have my other contributions to this forum either.

Hence i am withdrawing all my posts from this forum.

 

[S-2]

"...Specially after his success in Chapman endeavour."

Care to expand on that lil' nugget of wisdom Doc?

Thanks.

 

[iPhone]

Its best that HakeemUllah stays alive and stays in command of TTP.....

and continues his killing spree of innocent Pakistanis on daily basis.

 

[Dr-Sangeen]

I have been contributing to this forum for almost two months now. During this i time i have fought with the sheer arrogance of the moderators and admins of this forum.

The final straw was when they closed my welcome thread, as some of my friends were posting there.

I asked them for a reason and the reply was and i quote " i shall consider myself lucky that it was allowed for that long..."

No I don't consider myself lucky at all, they shall consider themselves lucky that people, like myself, waste their time by posting on this web page.

As far as i am concern if my welcome thread is not good enough to be here then they don't deserve to have my other contributions to this forum either.

Hence i am withdrawing all my posts from this forum.

 

[Dr-Sangeen]

I have been contributing to this forum for almost two months now. During this i time i have fought with the sheer arrogance of the moderators and admins of this forum.

The final straw was when they closed my welcome thread, as some of my friends were posting there.

I asked them for a reason and the reply was and i quote " i shall consider myself lucky that it was allowed for that long..."

No I don't consider myself lucky at all, they shall consider themselves lucky that people, like myself, waste their time by posting on this web page.

As far as i am concern if my welcome thread is not good enough to be here then they don't deserve to have my other contributions to this forum either.

Hence i am withdrawing all my posts from this forum.

 

[S-2]

"Steve you would prefer a Pakistan focused TTP leader..."

Not at all and that's a dangerous assumption to make, especially here. I'm clear in my INTENSE disdain for all taliban and discern no functional difference in their heinous intent regardless of what nat'l ground they stand upon.

Please don't be unnecessarily presumptuous.

Thanks.

 

[PAFAce]

We need to be on the watch. Usually whenever the TTP leadership is attacked, they carry out one of their murderous attacks against civilians or government targets.

You're absolutely right. They are vengeful bast*rds. The would love to pull off another GHQ, but if that fails, at the very least they would want to create another Peshawar market blast type tragedy. These are very difficult times to keep watch, we can't protect every single inch of Pakistani soil even if we try.

I think it's time to begin open negotiations with the willing Taliban and isolate the TTP, with pre-conditions, of course. This time, the negotiations should be three-way; government, Taliban and the Army.

There are many things we ought to do right away, but probably one of the foremost is to accept our responsibility when it comes to drone strikes. Every time we complain about a drone strike, it makes us seem week and helpless against the might of the American military, which in turn gives these goons reason to cry "Americans are killing Muslims in Pakistan". Either we accept that we're allowing these drone strikes to occur, and hence accept responsibility, or we adopt a shoot on sight policy for any non-Pakistani drone in our airspace. I prefer the latter because I believe that as long as they are within our territory, nobody should be allowed to bomb these rats but us. The politicians/military can't keep playing with the sovereignty of the country, and in turn, allow these thugs to get away with vengeful acts.

Steve you would prefer a Pakistan focused TTP leader and Pakistanis want an Afghanistan focused TTP leader

Sir, please do not speak for all Pakistanis. I, and many others, here do not want to see an Afghanistan focused TTP leader. In fact, I don't want there to be a TTP leader at all, because I don't want a TTP to exist. If the TTP is not fit for us, what makes you think it's good enough for the Afghans?

 

[Dr-Sangeen]

I have been contributing to this forum for almost two months now. During this i time i have fought with the sheer arrogance of the moderators and admins of this forum.

The final straw was when they closed my welcome thread, as some of my friends were posting there.

I asked them for a reason and the reply was and i quote " i shall consider myself lucky that it was allowed for that long..."

No I don't consider myself lucky at all, they shall consider themselves lucky that people, like myself, waste their time by posting on this web page.

As far as i am concern if my welcome thread is not good enough to be here then they don't deserve to have my other contributions to this forum either.

Hence i am withdrawing all my posts from this forum.

 

[Dr-Sangeen]

I have been contributing to this forum for almost two months now. During this i time i have fought with the sheer arrogance of the moderators and admins of this forum.

The final straw was when they closed my welcome thread, as some of my friends were posting there.

I asked them for a reason and the reply was and i quote " i shall consider myself lucky that it was allowed for that long..."

No I don't consider myself lucky at all, they shall consider themselves lucky that people, like myself, waste their time by posting on this web page.

As far as i am concern if my welcome thread is not good enough to be here then they don't deserve to have my other contributions to this forum either.

Hence i am withdrawing all my posts from this forum.