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The US has stepped up its drone strikes in Pakistan – bringing the total number of strikes in September to 21, a steep escalation from the highest number of strikes so far this year, in January which was 12. The number of drone strikes in 2010 has now reached an alarming number of 76 as compared to 56 in all of 2009.
It was in these attacks that the al Qaeda operational chief for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Sheikh Fateh, was reportedly killed – later also confirmed by a Pakistani official.
The recent cross border attacks by US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has lead to strong protests by the Pakistan government and civilians. Whether the helicopters crossed into Pakistani territory is being investigated, while the Long War Journal states that that the forces did in fact cross over into Pakistan’s Kurram agency along the border. In a report published by the Associated Press in 2007, the rules of war allows entry into Pakistan if “Hot pursuit" of al-Qaeda, Taliban and terrorist command-and-control targets "from AFG into Pakistan (must be continuous and uninterrupted)." Whether this is still valid or has been changed, remains to be seen.
On September 28, intelligence agencies foiled coordinated terror attacks across Europe, which were planned and plotted in Pakistan. According to an official who spoke to CNN, “the mix of threats remains the same. It comes from groups like the Haqqani network, al Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistan Taliban. The threats they pose are ‘all deadly.’”
A report on NPR says that the military officials often describe the war in Afghanistan as “a game of Whack-a-Mole,” meaning that even though the US military cracks down on militants in Afghanistan – these militants flee to neighbouring Pakistan where they re-group and plan more attacks. The New America Foundation provides readers with a comprehensive database with graphs, reports and analysis. When looked at in one go, these facts and figures paint a chilling picture of the drone strikes. According to Newsline:
“For the period 2004-2007, according to the website, the high estimate for non-militant deaths from drone strikes is nine out of 109 people killed, around 8%. For 2009, the high-side estimate for non-militant deaths is 304 out of 709, a maddening 43%. The low estimate is 120 out of 413 killed in drone attacks, or 29%. So far in 2010 there have been reports of as many as 59 non-militants killed (59 out of 654, or 9%; while the low estimate shows 26 non-militants killed out of 387 drone-strike deaths, 7%) as of September 27, 2010).”As pointed out in the blog – although the numbers might point out ‘accuracy’ on part of the predator drones, there have still been civilian casualties, casualties that might fuel further anger and resentment among the future generation. Just in August 2010, a drone attack in Miramshah claimed the lives 12 people including four women. The Obama administration has up the ante in Afghanistan in order to prove its presence in the region to US taxpayers and lawmakers, but it remains to be seen how effective this strategy will be.
Amna Khalique is the Features Editor of Dawn.com
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
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Comments (58) Closed
Oct 02, 2010 12:03pm
my dear sir,
namaskar
i sitting here in India perhaps can not understand the conditions there. My forefathers during partition came from Pakistan, and spoke so highly about that place. now coming to the point, let me clarify to yu that u r really living in past. there is no significant caste system left in this country. it is the same thing like banana republic, hindu rate of growth(2%) and so on, these are bygones and. you r most welcome to visit this country for first hand information regarding as to how over the years it has reshaped and transformed itself. in Pakistani press usually these are the negative stories which are highlighted, for whatever reason. do u know that people come to India from US, Europe, Uk etc , for medical treatement(and of course from Pakistan), to study in our universities, to work in our software centers, to work in our industrial units, and India is the largest hub of small cars in the World, may be u do not, becaz what is highlighted is Babri masjid, caste system, corrupt politicians, few bad things about CWGs, Gujrat riots and so on.
so for heavons sake pl stop dragging this country for things u r not even aware.
Come to India and be my guest, I shall take u around on a guided tour and show u the real picture.
regards.
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Oct 02, 2010 02:28am
You say caste system is curse. But even in Islam, there are divisions among Shia, Sunni, Ahmadi, Druze. And in many of the countries where Sunnis are majority, they do not treat Shias as equal, and deny many rights, and vice versa, like Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran.
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Oct 01, 2010 09:16pm
How can any one distinguish between a civilian and taliban. Talibans do not have uniforms they are ordinary civilians.
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Oct 01, 2010 10:44am
Good one. Hope they realize this on time.
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Sep 30, 2010 08:47am
Agree.
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Oct 01, 2010 06:59am
Its not, Pakistan is fighting America's war on terror. Its america fighting Pakistan's war of existence. Guys wake up.
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Oct 01, 2010 06:35am
The recent hike in drone attacks and lot of propoganda for the europe plot were all done to hype pressure on Pakitani Authorities before CIA chief visit.
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Oct 01, 2010 06:38am
We in India feel we are Indians first and everything afterwards.
Does people in Pakistan feel they are Pakistanis first? or Muslims first?
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Oct 01, 2010 05:23am
It is a shame that to kill a suspect hundred of people are killed Indiscriminately including the woemen and innocent childeren in drone attack. World is not taking any notice of these killings of innocent people. it is hight of brutality and history tells us that it does not continue for long. Lets pray for people that have been killed.
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Oct 01, 2010 03:04am
Pakistan has a caste system as well. Pakhtoons, Muhajirs, Balochis, Sindhis all consider themselves from their distinct ethnic background, in language, marriages everything. Our caste system is no different than India's.
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Sep 30, 2010 08:11pm
Simple, dont take the money from US. Since the money is accepted, lay down.
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Sep 30, 2010 12:21pm
yes it's really bad to be silent on these drone attacks which are being carried out by them on flawless civilians of Pakistan.The constitution of Pakistan does not allow the government of Pakistan to remain mute spectators of onslaught on their citizens.
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Sep 30, 2010 11:14am
When we speak of violation of Afghanistan the first name that jumps to mind is the USA.....your forces were not invited there! Invasion of Iraq based on lies and of Afghanistan on weak arguments are criminal acts too!
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Sep 30, 2010 10:36am
They do avenge them. Haven't you heard of the tribal lashkars?
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Sep 30, 2010 10:28am
Thank you for the sentiments in favour of Pakistan.
The answer lies in the awam, and implementation of a just system. You are correct in stating that it will take 20 years, may be even more. In my humble opinion, the only thing needed is for Muslims to become Muslims first and everything else afterwards. Unfortunately the self comes first, and then it goes from family, to0 friends, to community, to region, and the list goes on. Last on the list is being a Muslim.
The biggest mistake that Pakistan made was to allow the feudal system to continue. This is the most unjust system and is contrary to the teachings of Islam. It was introduced by the British to rule us. It is now being used by the landed gentry to suck the blood of the awam.
You say that US and Europe are our friends. I read somewhere and found the following in http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/US-double-speak-India-a-strategic-ally-Pak-a-treasured-friend/532697/2/ "America as a friend can do more harm than America as enemy".
Yes, we have problems. But so does India. Your caste system is a curse.
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Sep 30, 2010 10:20am
Yes your right governments are corrupt everywhere brother but not to this degree. I fully understand the restraints on free voting in Pakistan..I have seen people paid to vote for a candidate ..ordered to vote for a candidate ....the key to all of this lies with those who are educated and can see through the mist of tribal politics ...but they are also encaptured or enraptured by it and refuse to put their toe in the water to invoke change...the real worry for me is these so called democratic governments in the west know whats going on but "play the game just the same" and support this myth of democracy in Pakistan and elsewhere to serve their own interests.....maybe the ultimate blame lies with western governments who control the purse strings of most third world countries.
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Sep 30, 2010 10:15am
The whole issue of anger over drones and possible revenge gets fueled primarily by the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and the numerous right wing parties and groups covertly sympathetic to their causes. Pashtoons both in the tribal areas and outside, in Pakistan, have been the primary victims of terrorism from the extremist mullahs. Sometimes our more liberal elites also fall into the trap and rant about the revenge factor. No educated person in the tribal belt or areas abutting it will raise a hue and cry over drone attacks. In fact most support them. Has anyone conducted a fair survey of local public opinion? Secondly has anyone calculated the deaths caused by terrorist attacks in Pakistan both pashtoon areas and others anc compared with 'civilian deaths' in drone attacks? I can assure you the figures will be very lopsided. The extremist groups like Al Qaeda and Taliban are the common enemy, the earlier we recongise this the less painful and shorter the struggle will be.
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Sep 30, 2010 09:58am
Even a person who is protesting against illegal occupation of Afghanistan, cannot be assassinated without a fair trial. The allowing of drones to be operated from Pakistan is itself a crime that must be taken to the Supreme Court, I believe. The previous government granted permission, and the present government is turning a blind eye. Both made statements for public consumption but are for it, for their personal gains.
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Sep 30, 2010 09:44am
You are talking about choices available huh we can't even vote to a choice given. This happens to me also when i was there for vote at election office they said me that your vote is already caste this makes me confused. :(
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Sep 30, 2010 07:31am
Politicians are corrupt everywhere, not just in Pakistan. Yes you rightly mentioned that people are to blame but for reasons other than casting their vote. We can only vote from the choices available. Any problem has to be looked in the eye so that it can be identified and a solution found. Indulging in false rhetoric, escapism and spinning conspiracy theories cannot solve even the smallest problem. Like at an individual level when we realise the problem lies with me, half the solution lies there.
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Sep 30, 2010 09:20am
Drone attacks are a sever violation of human rights . US is attacking a nation which is not in war with it technically . There is no credibility for their "actionable intellegence " to attack the villagers to flush out the terrorist . The villagers are not a party to any conflitct and If the US wanted to catch the terror elements ,it should engage a ground force . Its pathetic to see that Pakistan remain mute spectators of this onslaught on their citizens . Drone attack shows the two face of the US .
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Sep 30, 2010 06:54am
Better to tell America to take its money and leave Afghanistan. By accepting Aid it is understood that Pakistan has to follow the dictates of others. In this big bad World the theoretical concept of a free meal does not exist. "Carrots and Sticks" policy has both upsides and downsides and it is unwise to speculate whether the body has the strength to absorb blows from a big stick. "Pride and honour" may matter to the spotlessly clean but no nation can afford to take refuge under it. The time of reckoning is near and all players will need to change their strategies if they want to court success - status quo is a lose lose proposition.
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Sep 30, 2010 06:44am
wake up and smell the cofee - it is already a nightmare. the drones are helping to reduce it.
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Sep 30, 2010 08:36am
agreed !
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Sep 30, 2010 06:11am
Sometimes I want to cry for Pakistan ...but only it's people are to blame for it's demise ....for electing politicians who are corrupt.
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Sep 30, 2010 06:13am
Pakistan public has to make noise and protest on this issue. Guys be smart and wake up, before it is too late.
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Sep 30, 2010 08:05am
I am 50 year old and from my childhood I have seen what Pakistan has to go through. We in India have seen worst time during my childhood femine,war,flood, emergency in 1975 and the state was just collapsing. Then came the change in 1977, though govt. Janta party has won with full majority with all its joker. But people knew there rights and power, that was the main and sole massage awaam got, the power of democracy. For long people laughed and call us banana republic. But in my these 50 years of life I see Pakistan most loveabel country of europe and USA, getting to point where the name Paksitan is synonymous to terror. All these friends of Pakistan violating its territory's, minister/prime ministers asking asylums, earth quakes, floods, aids,bombs,mosque invaded, frauds list goes on.
Now do any one has answer how to come out of this mess and how to build nation. The answer lies with the awaam. It took us 60 years to build from scrath and my generation was the victim or say sacrificed, for the future of todays generation. If u guy's wake up today then it will take next 20 years of so to become a viabel respected nation. it is better to start now, before it is too late. The educated class from Pakistan is leaving/immigrating and before it is too late all the brain drain will leave u intellectual bankrupted.
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Sep 30, 2010 03:22am
The blog ends with anger about the Obama administration's policy of drone attacks with civilians casualties for the benifit of the U.S. taxpayers. This sounds awfully cold. It is cold because the citizens of the U.S. have been reduced to simply the taxpayers. Being the taxpayers, why on earth they would elect someone like Abraham Lincoln to conduct a Civil War in the early 1860s in order to uphold an abstract proposition inserted in the American Founding Document. Then, on the top, liberate the slaves and pay more taxes? It was the representatives of the U.S. taxpayers's resolve after the twin tower disasters with three thousand lives taken that "make sure this shall not happen again." With intense efforts from the then adminstration, the fifty states were spared from another attack of similar magnitude. Had there been a callousness from the adminstration's efforts or if there would have been successful attacks, there might not have been drone attacks. Pakistan is lucky so far.
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Sep 30, 2010 04:27am
yup, US is going to leave a civil war in Pakistan just like what the USSR did in Afghanistan.
Pakistan will have to pay the price, unfortunately. US is too arrogant to undersand this. US think it has a blank cheque to strike anywhere just because it was attacked on 9-11, it is very unfortuante, but that what reality is.
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Sep 30, 2010 04:28am
they have been, are and will be part of us. so why not blame them. afterall they are the rulers, and decision makers.
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Sep 30, 2010 04:31am
ALLAH knows better what lies ahead. yes, Bhutto made a fatal mistake of not accepting then east Pakistan's legitimate right to rule two Pakistan. sad but true....i just hope and pray we take a heed form our bad past,...alas we are still doing the same. follow what US tells us.
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Sep 30, 2010 07:53am
That is a very nice reply Nizar and rings true.
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Sep 30, 2010 04:35am
The truth is that our current leaders are making money out of those very strikes because the pilot of the drone might be an American with a joy stick but the base is Pakistani, the guy at the back acting like a bus conductor is a Pakistani and the base from where they operate is with-in Pakistan.
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Sep 30, 2010 04:42am
my opinion, US so called AfPak policy is multifaceted, it is not anti-islamic, it is more geo-political, to continue to keep at distance Russia, China from the hot waters of Pakistan sea (Arabian sea-indian ocean), keep an eye on Iran/CIS , somewhat balance b/w Pakistan and India. i.e push Pakistan to keep pressure on inida via Kashmir, sandwich Pakistan b/w two anti-Pakistan countries (afghan-indian axis) and to definitely demoralize state of Pakistan as the sole nuclear , albeit small , declared country in supposedly Islamic world. These attacks are nothing new and they will be more ferocious as new technology is developed.
question is could it not do without all this destruction of human life, destroying families and generations. yes, it can very easily by just using it shear economic weight.
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Sep 30, 2010 01:16am
According to Popular Science, US has made this area a laboratory for their new arsenal and new drones. Their new enemy lurks in caves and hunts on innocent people. Maybe in another five years they will be able to develop something that can smell these cave men and annihilate them. But so far this effort does not seem fruitful.
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Sep 30, 2010 01:11am
How would you explain the relationship between drone attack and Pakistan sponsoring a resolution at the UN Human rights offices in Geneva against Israel's attack on aid flotilla are they not both preemptive.
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Sep 30, 2010 01:11am
why dont they avenge the death of their own people when talibans blow themselves in markets?
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Sep 30, 2010 12:29am
The Security forces in Pakistan miserably failed in protecting their citizens from Taliban because there are pockets of areas in the NWFP where Taliban are practicing SHARIA.
Now the PAK Govt wants to protect their borders from the NATO who are genuinely fighting the Taliban.
Make up your mind guys do you want to spend another 50 years getting punished by the Taliban or first get rid of them ASAP.
Do you see how many other problems we have to deal with....
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Sep 30, 2010 12:15am
There is no need for continuous police pursuit across states, because they trust and coordinate with each other... If Pakistani army can get to and tackle the entrants right away, I am sure NATO would rather have the Pakistani army fight them. Your equation is off... international borders shouldn't be confused with state borders.
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Sep 30, 2010 12:06am
Dream of the Father of Nation was squashed by an ungrateful people when they passed the Objectives Resolution and making Islam as the State Religion. Father of the Nation, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, clearly mentioned in his speeches that Pakistan will be a secular state where every person will be free to follow Religion of their choice. This Nation has been scarred beyond recognization of what the Father of the Nation had dreamt of by the Mullahs and the Feudals where holy places of different sects of Islam are bombed, not to mention places of worships of other Religions.
You don't show moral outrage when your extremist cohorts kill innocent civilians, blow up schools, enslave women, bomb places of worship, kill innocent people inside places of worship, but show outrage when these murderous clan are being pursued.
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Sep 29, 2010 11:46pm
There is a lot of screaming and yelling about the violation of the sovereignty of Pakistan by drones and hot pursuit of Taliban. OK, granted. But why does nobody mention the violation of the sovereignty of Afghanistan when these characters cross the border from Pakistan to Afghanistan to cause all kind of bloodshed there? It
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Sep 29, 2010 10:17pm
The Rules of Engagement changed after the advent of Cross Border Terrorism. Now and in future, if a country is weak or unwilling to eliminate international terrorist individuals or organizations on its territory, other countries will.
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Sep 29, 2010 09:13pm
The analogy you use is not applicable. If a suspect crosses into Arizona the authorities in Arizona will, either independently or in co-operation with California, apprehend the suspect. Pakistan, however is unwilling or unable, to apprehend the suspects.
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Sep 29, 2010 08:00pm
California police do'nt cross into Arizona because Arizona police will not allow them.
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Sep 29, 2010 08:28pm
I highly doubt that. I think those people are more interested in earning two days worth of food than taking revenge. There will be an end to this war if some wolves in sheep clothes stop paying for it and another set of wolves in mullahs attire stop preaching hate..
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Sep 29, 2010 08:05pm
True that but the Arizona police is ready for the suspect on the border when he is crossing the border. Where is Pakistan when these terrorist are crossing the border.
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Sep 29, 2010 06:47pm
The Pakistani Government has an obligation to prevent any one launching attacks using Pakistani land or airspace. FATA has long been a trouble spot where the tribal people do not recognize federal government law. The USA led NATO forces have time and again asked Pakistani leaders to keep a check on the people in those areas yet our patriotic leaders did nothing. Like Obama said "If Pakistan doesn't take action, we will" we are seeing a rise in these attacks and most probably we will even see a ground offensive from the NATO forces.
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Sep 29, 2010 05:48pm
@ Samyak,
The secessionist tendencies of east Pakistanis did not start at the time of Bhutto. Ayub Khan had rid east Pakistanis of all civilian rights. Even though, Pakistan prospered exuberantly during the 60s from exports from east Pakistan, the only institution to really benefit from this was the army. Defence expenditure since Ayub Khan has been sacrosanct..... Then came the Agartala conspiracy by way of which Ayub Khan threw Mujibiir Rehman in Jail. It was ZA Bhutto, he convinced Ayub Khan to release Mujibur Rehman....
Then came the most incompetent of all army leaders, Yahya Khan. It was Yahya Khan who openly said that "I thought running the country is the same as running the army, I guess i was wrong." Eventually, the Bangladesh debacle lies on the head of the army generals. Yahya Khan also went on record saying that "if there was no Bhutto, the army would have had to create one."
Part of the problem with majority Pakistanis, especially the youth, is that they have learnt their history from the mutilated textbooks introduced by Zia which glorifies the army and belittles everything democratic.
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Sep 29, 2010 05:38pm
I agree. Bhutto lost the election yet still imposed civilian martial law and in doing so he created a major turning point in the history of the country.
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Sep 29, 2010 11:31am
Pakistan's sovereignty was vanished on that day when a very strong , powerful and loyal Prime Minister of this country(MR Z A Bhutto) who never bowed down against American pressure on nuclear and many other issues was hanged by the Generals of this country instead of being protected and kept alive for the better future of this Country.
Lively and honoured nations always protect and respect their brave, bold and caring democratic leaders but not hang them in a false case.
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Sep 29, 2010 03:16pm
My friend, accusing Bhutto for Bangladesh is foolishness. He was not in power at the time and did not take the decision. He can be blamed for as far as demanding that Mujeeb not be rewarded after winning the elections. However, he can not be blamed for what actually happened as the decision was not in his hands but in Yahya Khan's. Yahya is the real reason behind what happened. As head of state it was his responsibility not to accomodate anyone but the elected governor.
Our army has bled alot for Pakistan's sake, but generals like Ayub and Yahya are why Bangladesh left us. Always take care when sharing information with others lest you spread misinformation. Hope you find my response useful.
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Sep 29, 2010 02:04pm
If the police in the USA is in a hot pursuit of a suspect in any State, lets say California, and the suspect crosses the border to Arizona, then the police does not have the mandate to continue the pursuit into Arizona. What international law grants permission to the international killers wrapped in the garb of liberators to violate the sanctity of borders of a sovereign country. We as a nation, why are we asleep at the time of reckoning when the future of the nation is gravely at stake and the dream of the father of the nation is in danger of turning into a nightmare.
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Sep 29, 2010 01:50pm
Mark my words, we will be paying for these strikes 10 years from now. Of all people in the world to do pangas with, the tribals are the last ones you should pick on. They have a tradition of avenging through generations. They will not forget our complicity. This is now a war without end. The americans will eventually leave but the tribals will be here forever.
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Sep 29, 2010 01:45pm
Drone activity has totally altered combat warfare as we know it. And I think we are going to see a lot more drones now. In all fairness to Pakistani ground troops and the American ground troops Waziristan is absolutely inhospitable and inaccessible terrain. It makes common sense to send in the drones where foot soldiers are absolutely ineffective. Even one combat soldier lost is one too many. Whereas the drones can 'take out' an entire platoon of battled hardened Taliban foot soldiers. Thats no mean feat, its just good battle sense.
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Sep 29, 2010 01:38pm
The point is our feeble economy doesn't allow us to actually consider sovereignty. Pakistan has been in shambles since 1966.
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Sep 29, 2010 01:14pm
If you knew your own history well, you would have known that Bhutto is the real reason why Bangladesh is an independent country today. If Bhutto had accommodated Mujibur, when Yahya had called the meeting, today's Pakistan would have been different.
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Sep 29, 2010 01:08pm
Please don't blame generals or Bhutto.
The fault lies within us. We are corrupt and lazy.
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Sep 29, 2010 12:56pm
the generals that followed him did not bow down to the American Pressure and the bomb was completed in the end. Bhutto has left a mixed legacy on one side he had a significant role to play in the creation of Bangladesh along with the generals but on the other he lifted the spirit of the nation from the set back. His policy of nationalization proved to be a disaster and he could not rid Pakistan of the feduals. I do agree though his trial was a judicial murder.
As for this blog it is just a lot of copy pasting of a lot of information that we already know. You can't win the hearts and minds of people when you knowingly kill innocent civilians. It is genocide but as the old saying goes MIGHT is RIGHT. We saw it happening in Iraq where a whole war was waged on false accusations and not even an apology is issues. Soon enough though I think it will be time for the Americans to declare victory in Afghanistan just as they did in Vietnam and pack them bags and leave. Till that day a lot of innocent civilians who are just trapped between two stones will keep on loosing their lives.
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