US Drone strikes in Pakistan are illegal under international law.

[Muhammad-Bin-Qasim]

Sir... if you don't realize that Pakistani military men at the highest level are not involved, then I'm not sure you're seeing this clearly.

First is the requirement for intel. The drones are not magic; they cannot find terrorists with some sort of "TTP/Taliban/al-quaeda sniffer device." There are Pakistanis on the ground in the disputed areas finding these men. Above them, I haven't the slightest doubt that the effort is joint, with Pakistani military men at probably the highest level, working together with the U.S.

By keeping the cooperation secret, the Pakistan Army and government has plausible deniability.

Finally, these strikes are as "surgical" as anything in the history of modern warfare. If the date was 1970, and some high-ranking terrorist was known to be in a house, dumb iron bombs would rain down and shatter an entire city block.

The other option is to do nothing. What would the future of Afghanistan and Pakistan be if the U.S. pulled the plug on the whole thing? al-quaeda reached across an entire hemisphere to attack us. But these same elements live inside Pakistan and Afghanistan both. And they will not be content to simply control a small area. Their goal is the export of their ideology; those that resist will be killed. They need to be dealt with NOW, with forces already there, via a joint operation between Pakistan, and NATO/ISAF/coalition forces.

I hear you Chogy... the point is that if Americans had let Pakistan handle it completely, you would not have had to deal with the massive anti Americanism that is a norm in our country now...

As for intel and "surgical"... you are killing more innocent civilians than actual militants... i.e its not "surgical" enough...

Ultimately that causes two problems for those of us who are attempting political change in our country...

1. Increase in bloodshed as Militants exploit the innocent deaths for their own bloody cause... if it were Pak Army, most people would understand the reasons... because its US, they do not!!!

2. We being labelled as extremist as soon as we utter the word Islam...

 

[TruthSeeker]

US Predators strike 3 times in North Waziristan

By Bill Roggio, January 1, 2011

The US carried out its first three Predator strikes of 2011, again targeting Taliban, al Qaeda, and Haqqani Network fighters based in Pakistan's enemy-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan.

The first strike took place in the village of Mandi Khel, an area under the influence of the Haqqani Network. The unmanned Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired four missiles at a compound and a house in the village, killing seven "militants." The Predators circled back and fired two more missiles as Taliban fighters attempted to pull people from the rubble.

Four "foreigners," a term used to describe Arab al Qaeda or Central Asian terrorists, are thought to be among those killed, Pakistani officials said, according to Dawn. The Taliban fighters are thought to have been under the command of Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the senior Taliban leader in North Waziristan. Bahadar provides shelter to top al Qaeda leaders as well as terrorists from numerous Pakistani and Central Asian terror groups.

The second strike targeted a compound in the village of Ghoresti, according to Geo News. Four Taliban fighters were killed in the strike.

The third strike targeted a vehicle in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, killing four militants. Datta Khel is under the control of Hafiz Gul Bahadar, and is a known hub for al Qaeda and various Pakistani and Central and South Asian terror groups.

No senior al Qaeda, Taliban, or Haqqani Network leaders have been reported killed in today's strikes. But the presence of foreigners in the vicinity of Mandi Khel, and the second pass on the target during recovery operations, indicate that the US sought to kill a senior leader.

Read more: US Predators strike 3 times in North Waziristan - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

Missile strikes kill at least 19 in Pakistan tribal area

By Zulfiqar Ali and Laura King, Los Angeles Times, January 2, 2011

Reporting from Peshawar, Pakistan, and Kabul, —

A series of missile strikes killed at least 19 suspected insurgents Saturday in Pakistan's tribal borderlands, signaling that the new year would bring no respite in a relentless campaign of U.S. attacks employing aerial drones to target militant figures.

The strikes in the North Waziristan tribal agency were apparently aimed at the Haqqani network, an offshoot of the Taliban movement and one of the deadliest foes of U.S. and other Western forces in Afghanistan. The group's fighters operate mainly in the eastern part of Afghanistan but seek shelter in neighboring Pakistan.

The multiple missile hits in the same area over several hours, which targeted two vehicles and a compound, suggested that intelligence might have indicated the presence of a high-level commander. The compound belonged to a man affiliated with a commander named Gul Bhadur, who is a senior associate of Siraj Haqqani, the network's chieftain.

North Waziristan Pakistan drone missile strikes: At least 19 killed in missile strikes in Pakistan - latimes.com

 

[airuah]

I hear you Chogy... the point is that if Americans had let Pakistan handle it completely, you would not have had to deal with the massive anti Americanism that is a norm in our country now...

As for intel and "surgical"... you are killing more innocent civilians than actual militants... i.e its not "surgical" enough...

Ultimately that causes two problems for those of us who are attempting political change in our country...

1. Increase in bloodshed as Militants exploit the innocent deaths for their own bloody cause... if it were Pak Army, most people would understand the reasons... because its US, they do not!!!

2. We being labelled as extremist as soon as we utter the word Islam...

the Americans are doing that becoz your army refuses to do that....you want America's permission to go after militants in your own country.......your answers are just lame......

 

[TruthSeeker]

US Predators kill 5 'militants' in al Qaeda haven of Datta Khel

By Bill Roggio, January 7, 2011

US Predators struck again in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled, al Qaeda haven of North Waziristan, killing five "militants."

Today's strike took place in the village of Ghar Laley in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan. Unmanned Predators, or the more heavily armed Reapers, fired four missiles at a vehicle and a compound in the village, Pakistani intelligence officials told Geo News. One official said the Predators fired missiles at "militants fleeing on a motorbike."

After the strike, the Taliban surrounded the area to recover the bodies of those killed. No senior al Qaeda, Taliban, or other terrorist leaders have been reported killed in today's strike.

The Datta Khel area is administered by Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the Taliban commander for North Waziristan. Bahadar provides shelter to top al Qaeda leaders as well as terrorists from numerous Pakistani and Central Asian terror groups.

Datta Khel is a known hub of Taliban, Haqqani Network, and al Qaeda activity. While Bahadar administers the region, the Haqqani Network, al Qaeda, and allied Central Asian jihadi groups are also based in the area. The Lashkar al Zil, or al Qaeda's Shadow Army, is known to have a command center in Datta Khel.

Datta Khel serves as a command and control center for al Qaeda's top leaders. Some of al Qaeda's top leaders have been targeted and killed in Datta Khel. A strike on Dec. 17, 2009, targeted Sheikh Saeed al Saudi, Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law and a member of al Qaeda's Shura Majlis, or executive council. Al Saudi is thought to have survived the strike, but Abdullah Said al Libi, the commander of the Shadow Army or Lashkar al Zil, and Zuhaib al Zahibi, a general in the Shadow Army, were both killed in the attack.

But the most significant attack in Datta Khel took place on May 21, 2010, which resulted in the death of Mustafa Abu Yazid, a longtime al Qaeda leader and close confidant of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri.

Yazid served as the leader of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and the wider Khorasan, a region that encompasses portions of Pakistan, Iran, and several Central Asian states. More importantly, Yazid was as al Qaeda's top financier, which put him in charge of the terror group's purse strings. He served on al Qaeda's Shura Majlis, or top decision-making council. Yazid also was closely allied with the Taliban and advocated the program of embedding small al Qaeda teams with Taliban forces in Afghanistan.

Read more: US Predators kill 5 'militants' in al Qaeda haven of Datta Khel - The Long War Journal


Note the bolded sentences. No one knows if any "civilians" are killed because the areas of the strikes are controlled by the Taliban, not the GoP.

 

[shehbazi2001]

the Americans are doing that becoz your army refuses to do that....you want America's permission to go after militants in your own country.......your answers are just lame......

Don't assume that drone attacks are happening in total opposition of Pakistan's government and armed forces, as already hinted in the Pakistani and international media. (So that India should never consider a similar 'surgical strike' ).

Apart from media and newspapers, there is one simple fact. Has Pakistan ever installed AIR RAID SIRENs in the tribal belts under attack? PAF has AWACS and early warning of a drone attack is not a problem. Even a 50 dollar loud speaker arrangement can also inform the local tribals about an incoming drone attack. But has it been done despite the thousands of people killed?

If air raid sirens had been used in 1965 war in Pakistan's cities, can it not be used in 2010 or 2011?

 

[TruthSeeker]

US drone strike kills three militants in North Waziristan
AFP, Yesterday

MIRANSHAH: A US missile attack killed at least three militants in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal district on Wednesday, security officials said.

Missiles struck a compound at Haiderkhel village, some 25 kilometers east of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan, three security officials said.

“A US drone fired two missiles at a militant compound. At least three militants were killed and two others were injured,” a senior Pakistani security official told AFP.

The identities of the dead militants were not immediately clear, but local intelligence officials said they were “foreigners”, a term used for Taliban and al Qaeda linked non-Pakistani Arab and Central Asian militants.

“They were foreigners,” an intelligence official told AFP, adding they were checking on the nationalities.

The area is a stronghold of Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur.

Washington says wiping out the militant threat in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt is vital to winning the nine-year war against the Taliban in Afghanistan and defeating al Qaeda.

Militant networks in North Waziristan are accused of escalating the nine-year war in Afghanistan and US officials want Pakistan to launch a ground offensive in the district to limit the extremist threat.

The United States does not confirm drone attacks, but its military and the Central Intelligence Agency operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy the unmanned aircraft in the region.

In 2010 the campaign doubled missile attacks in the tribal area with around 100 drone strikes killing more than 650 people, according to an AFP tally.

Pakistan tacitly cooperates with the bombing campaign, which US officials say has severely weakened al Qaeda’s leadership, but has stalled on launching a ground offensive in North Waziristan, saying its troops are overstretched.

US drone strike kills three militants in North Waziristan | Latest news, Breaking news, Pakistan News, World news, business, sport and multimedia | DAWN.COM

 

[TruthSeeker]

US Predators kill 4 'foreigners' in North Waziristan strike

By Bill Roggio, January 12, 2011

US Predators struck again in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled, al Qaeda haven of North Waziristan, killing four "foreigners."

Today's strike took place in the village of Hyderkhel in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan. Unmanned Predators, or the more heavily armed Reapers, "fired two missiles at a militant compound" in the village, a Pakistani intelligence official told AFP.

Four "foreigners," a term used to describe Arab al Qaeda or Central Asian terrorists, are reported to have been killed, the Pakistani official said. No senior al Qaeda, Taliban, or other terrorist leaders have been reported killed in today's strike.

The Mir Ali area is in the sphere of influence of Abu Kasha al Iraqi, an al Qaeda leader who serves as a key link to the Taliban and supports al Qaeda's external operations network. Taliban leader Hafiz Gul Bahadar and the Haqqani Network also operate in the Mir Ali area. Mir Ali is a known hub for al Qaeda's military and external operations councils.

The US has launched five Predator strikes inside Pakistan this year; all five strikes have hit targets in North Waziristan.


Read more: US Predators kill 4 'foreigners' in North Waziristan strike - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

US Predators kill 5 'militants' in al Qaeda stronghold of Datta Khel

By Bill Roggio, January 18, 2011

Today, US Predators launched the first strike in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan in six days, killing five "militants" in an area known to shelter al Qaeda's top leaders.

The strike took place in the Datta Khel area, a command and control center for al Qaeda and allied terror groups. The unmanned Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired two or three missiles at a compound in Datta Khel, according to reports from the region.

A Pakistani intelligence official said all five people killed in the strike were "militants," but did not identify which group they belonged to. No senior al Qaeda, Taliban, or other terrorist leaders have been reported killed in today's strike.

The target of today's attack is not clear. The US targets senior al Qaeda leaders, al Qaeda's external operations networks, and the mishmash of terrorist groups, including the Taliban and the Haqqani Network, that carry out attacks in Afghanistan.

Read more: US Predators kill 5 'militants' in al Qaeda stronghold of Datta Khel - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

US Predators strike 3 times in al Qaeda haven of North Waziristan

By Bill Roggio, January 23, 2011

Today, US Predators launched thee airstrikes in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan, killing 13 "militants" in an area known to host al Qaeda's top leaders.

The first strike took place in the Datta Khel area, a command and control center for al Qaeda and allied terror groups. The unmanned Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired two missiles at a vehicle as it pulled up to a compound in the area.

A Pakistani intelligence official said all of those killed in that strike were "local militants," but did not identify which group they belonged to. "Preliminary reports said all of them were local militants but we are trying to get more information," the official told AFP.

Predators carried out a follow-up strike in the Datta Khel area, killing three more "militants" as they were riding motorcycles. "Foreigners," a term reserved for Arab al Qaeda and Central Asian terrorists, may have been killed in the second strike.

In the third strike, Predators fired several missiles at a vehicle parked at a compound in the town of Mandi Khel. Six terrorists were reported killed in the third attack.

No senior al Qaeda, Taliban, or other terrorist leaders have been reported killed in today's strikes.

So far this year, US has carried out nine strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas; all have occured in North Waziristan. Five of those nine strikes have taken place in the Datta Khel area.

Read more: US Predators strike 3 times in al Qaeda haven of North Waziristan - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

US Predators strike in South Waziristan

By Bill Roggio, February 20, 2011

Unmanned US strike aircraft killed five "militants" in an attack in Pakistan's contested tribal agency of South Waziristan today. The strike is the first in South Waziristan since last year, and ends a long pause in strikes in Pakistan that began on Jan. 24.

The Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired three missiles at a Taliban compound in the village of Kaza Panga, which is about 10 miles west of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, Pakistani officials told AFP.

No senior al Qaeda or Taliban commanders have been reported killed in the missile attack.

The target of the strike is unclear. The area is controlled by Mullah Nazir, the leader of the Taliban in the Waziri tribal areas in South Waziristan. Pakistan's military and intelligence services consider Nazir and his followers "good Taliban" as they do not openly seek the overthrow of the Pakistani state.

Nazir openly supports Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden, however, and wages jihad in Afghanistan. Significantly, more senior al Qaeda leaders have been killed in Nazir's tribal areas during the US air campaign than in those of any other Taliban leader in Pakistan. Nazir also shelters the Mehsuds from the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, in violation of a peace agreement with the Pakistani government.

Today's strike is also the first in South Waziristan since Sept. 28, 2010. All but four of the strikes since then have occurred in North Waziristan. The other four strikes took place in Khyber.

Read more: US Predators strike in South Waziristan - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

US Predators strike again in Pakistan, kill 9 'militants'

By Bill Roggio, February 21, 2011

US Predators struck again in Pakistan's lawless tribal agencies today, this time in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan. Nine "militants" were reported killed in the second strike in two days.

The latest strike took place in the town of Spalga (also known as Aspalga) in the Miramshah area of North Waziristan. Unmanned US Predators, or the more deadly Reapers, fired four missiles at a compound in the town, according to Dawn.

Local Pakistani officials claimed that nine "militants," a term used to describe Taliban or al Qaeda fighters, were killed. No senior Taliban or al Qaeda fighters have been reported killed in the attack.

The town of Spalga is located in the sphere of influence of the Haqqani Network.

US Predators have struck in Spalga two other times in the past; once on Dec. 14, 2010, and the first time on Dec. 8, 2009.

Read more: US Predators strike again in Pakistan, kill 9 'militants' - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

Al Qaeda operative, 'Punjabis' thought killed in South Waziristan Predator strike

By Bill Roggio, February 21, 2011

A senior al Qaeda operative and several "Punjabi" terrorists are reported to have been killed in yesterday's Predator airstrike in an area of South Waziristan that remains under the control of the Taliban.

Abu Zaid al Iraqi, an al Qaeda operative who is also known as Ali Khan, is said to have been killed along with several "foreigners" in the Feb. 20 strike in the town of Kaza Panga in the Azam Warzak area of South Waziristan. Reports indicate that between five and seven "militants," a term used to describe Taliban and al Qaeda fighters and operatives, were killed in yesterday's strike.

Abu Zaid is said to be al Qaeda's top financier in Pakistan, The Associated Press reported, based on information from Pakistani intelligence officials. Previously, al Qaeda's top financial official in the Afghan-Pakistan region was Mustafa Abu Yazid, the Egyptian commander who also led al Qaeda in the Khorasan. Yazid was killed in a US Predator airstrike in North Waziristan on May 21, 2010.

According to The Associated Press, Abu Zaid shifted operations from Afghanistan to South Waziristan sometime in 2008.

US intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal said they were aware of the reports of Abu Zaid's death, but would neither confirm nor deny the reports. One official cautioned against accepting the report without some form of confirmation from al Qaeda.

Another report, from the BBC, said that several "Punjabis" were killed in the Feb. 20 strike in South Waziristan. The names or number of the so-called Punjabis was not disclosed, however.

The term Punjabi is often used to describe one of the several Pakistani terror groups based in Punjab province. These groups include the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, and Harkar-ul-Ansar. Also, these is a group known as the Punjabi Taliban, which is made up from members of the various Punjabi terror groups. And finally, there is a group that calls itself al Qaeda in Punjab.

Read more: Al Qaeda operative, 'Punjabis' thought killed in South Waziristan Predator strike - The Long War Journal

 

[Gin ka Pakistan]

ISI and CIA are working together again after a break because of a mistrust incidence in Lahore

 

[JayAtl]

they are back with drones ,


question deleted, seems its the second strike