crickets chirping ...
Posted on 06/06/2011 9:29:10 AM PDT by robowombat
Suspected US Drone Strikes Kill 18 in Pakistan
Monday, June 6th, 2011 at 4:00 pm UTC Posted 13 minutes ago
Pakistani intelligence officials say three U.S. drone strikes have killed at least 18 militants in the country's northwest tribal region. All of Monday's strikes were in South Waziristan, near the Afghan border. Officials say missiles hit a compound, an Islamic seminary and a vehicle near the main town of Wana. Foreign militants, including Arabs and Uzbeks, were said to be among those killed.
The attacks come just days after the reported death of senior al-Qaida operative Ilyas Kashmiri in a U.S. drone strike in same tribal area. Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Interior Minister Rehman Malik both said Monday they were confident Kashmiri is dead. But unnamed U.S. defense officials told new agencies they still have no confirmation of his killing.
The United States has designated Kashmiri a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” and offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. The al-Qaida operative is accused of involvement in several attacks on Western targets, the 2008 terrorist siege on the Indian city of Mumbai and the recent attack on a Pakistani naval base in Karachi. This was the second time Kashmiri has been reported to have been killed. Pakistani officials said Kashmiri was killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike in September of 2009.
The United States has stepped up drone attacks since U.S. special forces killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden on May 2 in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.
U.S. officials have never publicly acknowledged the use of drones inside Pakistan, but have privately confirmed the strikes to various news outlets. Pakistani leaders protest the attacks as a violation of the country's sovereignty, but Pakistani intelligence is believed to provide the U.S. information for the strikes.
Drone?
What drone?
We don’t know nuthin’ ‘bout no drone...
Here is some more from VOA:
Suspected US Drone Strikes Kill 17 in Pakistan
Phillip Ittner | Islamabad June 06, 2011
Several U.S. drone strikes killed 17 people Monday in South Waziristan,
Pakistan’s rugged tribal region bordering Afghanistan, according to Pakistani authorities.
Among the dead are several suspected militant leaders, including several Arab nationals. Pakistan officials said the missiles, fired from unmanned aircraft, hit a compound, an Islamic seminary and a vehicle near the main town of Wana.
The United States has stepped up drone attacks since a secret U.S. raid killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden on May 2 in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.
Speaking to reporters in the Pakistani city of Quetta, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said intelligence gathering between Pakistan and the United States is returning to previous levels, following a breakdown after bin Laden’s killing, which angered many in the Pakistani military because of its covert nature.
But Gilani said said the two nations would continue to work together to hunt down terrorist leaders.
He said the United States is concerned about the top leaders and commanders of al-Qaida, and so are Pakistan’s leaders because they cannot allow the use of Pakistani soil for terrorist activities against any third country.
The prime minister spoke just days after a strike in the tribal areas that Pakistan says killed top al-Qaida leader Ilyas Kashmiri.
Mr. Gilani also said the government is confident Kashmiri is dead, but independent confirmation is difficult because no body has been recovered.
Kashmiri was one of the reported five high-level targets that Pakistani sources say Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen presented to the Pakistani leadership during their recent visit.
Retired Pakistani General Mahmood Shah, who was in charge of the tribal areas, says since the bin Laden raid and subsequent attack on the naval base in Karachi, the military and political leadership are reassessing their policies toward the ungoverned tribal areas and insurgents in Pakistan.
“There is a deep introspection in the political and military leadership,” he said. “And they are looking at the whole mosaic of the internal security. Are we moving in the right direction? And if not, we need course correction,” Shah said.
The threat of insurgent retaliation to military pressure is also foremost in many Pakistani’s minds. There have already been suicide bombings in retaliation for Ilyas Kashmiri’s death.
But Pakistani officials insist a re-invigorated drive against terrorists and extremists in the country is coming. They say they are unable to take on the entire tribal region in one massive operation, but will mount a staged operation as they consolidate any new gains.
Of course, it could always be an Ecuadoran drone strike or a drone strike from Sri Lanka. Or from drone-prone Leuchtenburg. There are many possibilities for drones kill Pakistan terrorists.
Curious. We keep getting these reports about successful drone operations.
It’s as if one gang who actually want to WIN the war against Muslim terrorists is running the drone operations, while the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, the Pentagon, the State Department, and most of the CIA are being run by stooges of Obama who want to LOSE.
These constant reports about Muslim fanatics being killed by drones may be starting to interfere with Obama’s concentration on golf and parties. Who’s doin’ this stuff, anyway?
What I fail to understand is why it has been ok to kill civilians since Obama was elected.
The hypocrisy is stunning.
Translation:
crickets chirping ...
“Paki intelligence-—reports” -—Boy does that bring out the confident warm and fuzzy feelings. All of a sudden they want to talk. No bodies? No pics? Seems like the current Paki plan is to make up enough strikes/kills to get us off their case. Will they send us pics of proper Muzzie buriels? Hillary did tell them to get busy or forget the next check but so far our guys are doing the “get busy “part and the Pakis are busy curb -setting and re-assessing. For my own part I want to see heads on sticks in their own tradition and pictures of those Iranian/Chinese/ North Gook weapons.
1,296 virgins settling in....
lol
maybe moslim extremists are just exploding, evolution in action. Darwin would not be surprised
oh good! they’re only “militants” - so that makes it ok.
Unlike - under Bush - when these horrific drone attacks only killed innocent people at wedding parties!
carry on Obamarambo!!
I think they're busy digging in the attic for those "NO BLOOD FOR OIL" signs...
whoops.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.