Pakistan Slams U.S. For Drone Attacks

[Prometheus Bound]

Pakistan Slams U.S. For Drone Attacks
8/25/2010 11:16 PM ET

(RTTNews) - Wajid Shamsul Hassan, Pakistan's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, has lashed out at the United States for indiscriminate use of spy drones to kill civilians in the so-called "war on terror" in his country.

"Americans are using indiscriminately the drones to hit what they called high-value targets that killed so many people," Hassan said in an interview with Iranian Press TV.

The Pakistani diplomat also acknowledged that the U.S. is carrying out extra-judicial killings of civilians in his country, and added that there has been a request for a probe into the killings. He said the government in Islamabad has asked Washington to stop killing innocent civilians.

Hassan's comments came after more than 13 people were killed in a suspected U.S. missile strike Saturday on a compound in Essori, a village 20km east of Miranshah, the main town in the tribal district of North Waziristan, close to the Afghan border.

Washington claims the drone attacks, initiated by former U.S. President George W. Bush and escalated under President Barack Obama, target militants, though the U.S. does not directly acknowledge the missile attacks.

However, the attacks, operated by CIA in cooperation with the Pentagon, reportedly have killed hundreds of civilians in Pakistan since 2008 which has strained relations between the two countries.

Islamabad has repeatedly condemned the strikes, saying they violate the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also says the attacks kill civilians, stoking resentment among the local population and thus proving to be counter-productive in the battle against armed groups.

More: http://www.rttnews.com/Content/GeneralNews.aspx?Id=1402474&SM=1

Over 700 killed in 44 drone strikes in 2009
Saturday, 02 Jan, 2010
PESHAWAR: Of the 44 predator strikes carried out by US drones in the tribal areas of Pakistan over the past 12 months, only five were able to hit their actual targets, killing five key Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders, but at the cost of over 700 innocent civilians.

According to the statistics compiled by Pakistani authorities, the Afghanistan-based US drones killed 708 people in 44 predator attacks targeting the tribal areas between January 1 and December 31, 2009.

For each Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorist killed by US drones, 140 innocent Pakistanis also had to die. Over 90 per cent of those killed in the deadly missile strikes were civilians, claim authorities.

The success percentage for the drone hits during 2009 was hardly 11 per cent. On average, 58 civilians were killed in these attacks every month, 12 persons every week and almost two people every day. Most of the attacks were carried out on the basis of human intelligence, reportedly provided by the Pakistani and Afghan tribesmen, who are spying for the US-led allied forces in Afghanistan.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/18-over-700-killed-in-44-drone-strikes-in-2009-am-01

[LiberalAndProud]

1. Will this never end?

We don't have enough enemies in this world already, we need to make enemies of our allies?

I can't describe my outrage, my anguish. It is to the brink of hopelessness.

This madness must end.

[The Northerner]

3. +1

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[chill_wind]

2. K & R. n/t

[Prometheus Bound]

5. 140 dead innocents for every alleged terrorist killed. And people are defending this!