Tuesday, November 8, 2011

New Restrictions On CIA Drone Strikes In Pakistan

A U.S. Air Force Predator unmanned aircraft. The decision to fire a missile from one of the growing fleet of U.S. drones is made as ground commanders, pilots and analysts at far-flung military installations analyze video and data feeds from the combat zone and communicate through voice and text messages. The system is far from foolproof. (Handout, Reuters / September 24, 2011)

U.S. Put New Restrictions On CIA Drone Strikes In Pakistan -- L.A. Times

The changes, which came in response to public outrage in Pakistan, have increased the percentage of 'high-value' militants killed by the drone strikes, a study says.

Reporting from Washington — The White House over the summer put new restrictions on CIA drone strikes in the wake of concerns that the program was primarily targeting lower-level militants while provoking anger in Pakistan, U.S. officials said.

Since then, according to an independent analysis, the strikes have yielded a significant increase in the percentage of people killed whom the government considers "high-value targets." But the program is still killing mainly rank-and-file fighters, the study indicates.

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My Comment: This is only a stop-gap measure. As long as Pakistan permits safe havens in their country and terrorists like Zawahiri and Mullah Omar to roam freely in their country .... the war and the use of drones will continue into perpetuity.

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