White House OKs expanding CIA drone program in Pakistan

[sabra]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) -- The White House has authorized an expansion of the CIA's program to attack suspected al Qaeda and Taliban operatives in Pakistan along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border with missiles shot from pilotless planes, a U.S. official confirms.

The covert effort is part of the Obama administration's plan to increase the number of U.S. military forces in Afghanistan and crack down on suspected terrorists in the region.

Since President Obama took office, there have been reports of more than 40 attacks by Hellfire missiles fired from drones, an increase over the approximately 30 missile strikes launched in 2008 during the Bush administration.

The U.S. official took exception to reports that hundreds of civilians have been killed in the Predator attacks.

The official said the strikes are "extremely precise" against terrorist targets and that only a "small fraction" of those killed have been civilians.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/04/pakistan.drones/

[Arctic Dave]

1. "only a "small fraction" of those killed have been civilians."

What is a small fraction?

This just keeps getting better and better. Hahahahahahahaha.

[shadowknows69]

4. Bullshit. Isn't the ratio of civilians to combatants killed like 5 to1 or something?

Last I checked that's a pretty big fucking fraction.

[Arctic Dave]

6. Exactly. It's not like anyone would be upset if you killed their family member

and want to get revenge. At least, not Americans anyways.


Yes, it is.

[zalinda]

2. How can anyone feel good about this? n/t

[ixion]

3. Remember when we accused Saddam of doing this?

Turned out to be a little RC plane.

The irony is, we're doing just what we accused him of wanting to do.

Do you think we would tolerate ANY country doing this to us?

No.

Period.

No.

If some country did this to us, all hell would break loose and we would no doubt invade them, too.

But for some reason, people think it's perfectly okay when we do it to others.

[LynnTheDem]

8. It's that "American Exceptionalism" crap.

It's all ok when WE do it.





Only thing is, it isn't.

[shadowknows69]

5. This is simply provoking more instability and creating more enemies.

[Iowa]

7. Obama has been a disaster. The worst Democratic President in history.

It's like reliving the nightmare of 2000-2008.

2012 can't come soon enough.

[Solly Mack]

9. k/r