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U.S. senators defend Pakistan drone attacks
Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 1/8/10 | Michael Georgy

Posted on 01/08/2010 3:02:40 PM PST by NormsRevenge

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – U.S. senators on Friday defended American drone aircraft strikes in ally Pakistan, an issue likely to become more volatile if Washington intensifies the attacks to hunt down enemies after the bombing of CIA agents in Afghanistan.

Pakistan officially objects to the attacks on suspected al Qaeda and Taliban militants along its border with Afghanistan, saying they violate its sovereignty.

And Islamabad has pushed Washington to provide it with the drones to allow it to carry out its own attacks on Taliban insurgents, a move that could ease widespread anti-American sentiment in Pakistan.

"We don't agree on every issue. We believe that, as I have stated and as our government has stated, that it is one of many tools that we must use to try to defeat a very determined and terrible enemy," said U.S. Senator John McCain.

The United States has stepped up its attacks with pilotless drone aircraft attacks in Pakistan since a double agent blew himself up at a U.S. base in Afghanistan on December 30, killing seven CIA agents.

A drone strike on Friday evening, the sixth in the lawless North Waziristan region on the Afghan border since December 30, killed two militants, Pakistani security officials said.

The attack on the CIA was a huge intelligence failure and will pile pressure on the United States to kill high-profile militants based along the Afghan-Pakistan frontier.

The United States sees the drones as a highly effective weapon in a global hub for militants. The strikes have killed some prominent al Qaeda militants.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: attacks; defend; drone; fata; nwfp; pakistan; senators; waziristan; wot

1 posted on 01/08/2010 3:02:42 PM PST by NormsRevenge
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A US Predator drone armed with a missile sets off from its hangar at Bagram air base in Afghanistan in November 2009. A US missile strike has killed five militants in Pakistan's northwest, officials said, as a US senator defended the attacks which fuel anti-American sentiment in the Muslim nation. (AFP/File/Bonny Schoonakker)


2 posted on 01/08/2010 3:04:27 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. May yur bandwidth exceed your girth)
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To: NormsRevenge

Your tax dollars at work. We have given Pakistan $45 billion since the end of World War II, and late last year Congress and the BO administration committed to providing them with $7.5 billion more in non-military aid over the next five years. We bought them, we are paying for them, and we will bomb where we need to bomb to protect ourselves.


3 posted on 01/08/2010 3:21:57 PM PST by La Lydia
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To: La Lydia

Yep thats the way it works.

If they want it to stop. round up the AQ monsters and hand them over to the us.


4 posted on 01/08/2010 3:25:16 PM PST by Marty62 (former Marty60)
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