by Damozel | From The Guardian:
A US drone aircraft killed at least 45 Pakistani Taliban militants in south Waziristan yesterday when it fired missiles at the funeral of an insurgent commander killed earlier in the day, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
"Three missiles were fired by drones as people were dispersing after offering funeral prayers for Niaz Wali," one intelligence official said, referring to a Taliban commander who was one of six militants killed in an earlier drone attack...
Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan, is part of Pakistan's lawless tribal area, where US forces have mounted about 60 drone attacks against suspected militants since early last year.
"But," says the article carefully, "bombing a funeral is unusual and may be unprecedented." Yes, and we're not at war with Pakistan -- only with some of the people who have gone there.
If you're interested in the reasoning -- that is, the military strategy -- behind the attack, you can't do better than read Bill Roggio's piece. In pertinent part, he says:
Commander Sangeen, a Taliban commander from Afghanistan, was reported to be among those killed in the strike at the funeral. Predators are said to have fired on Taliban vehicles as they attempted to leave the scene of the attack, Dawn reported.
The attack took place in the town of Makeen, a stronghold of Baitullah Mehsud, according to Geo News. The US has hit Taliban facilities in the Makeen region three times since June 14. The Pakistani Air Force has also launched several attacks in the region.
These attacks coincided with an important meeting between Baitullah and a senior delegation of Taliban and al Qaeda leaders to discuss the military's operation in South Waziristan. Among those in attendance were Siraj Haqqani, Abu Yahya al Libi, Abdul Haq, and two senior deputies of Mullah Abdullah Zakir. The US appears to have targeted al Qaeda’s senior leadership as it met with Baitullah.
Today's Predator strikes also take place as the Pakistani military is in the opening phase of its operation to destroy Baitullah's network in South Waziristan. The military has conducted air and artillery attacks to soften up Taliban positions and is moving ground troops forward while working to secure the main road in the tribal agency. ..US intelligence believes that al Qaeda has reconstituted its external operations network in Pakistan's lawless, Taliban-controlled tribal areas. (More at Long War Journal)
The New York Times has more on the struggle between Baitullah Mehsud and the Pakistani government.
Pakistani jets have aimed at Mr. Mehsud’s hide-outs in recent days, and the funeral in Makeen that was hit on Tuesday was being held for a Taliban commander killed that day....
I dislike the idea of civilian casualties, but I also dislike the Taliban and al Qaeda. The choices seem sparse: let them run amok, or attack them where they are and kill civilians along with the (very bad) baddies. The question is whether such attacks are worth the price.
Most progressives I know think not -- they point out that killing people's family members and neighbors isn't exactly winning heart's and minds and that it simply perpetuates the conditions in which terrorism arises and comes to fruition. Perhaps it's naive to try to wipe out the Taliban or al Qaeda by killing individual members; to undermine terrorism, you have to change the conditions under which it flourishes, and that's not what's happening in Pakistan. On the other hand, I don't like what the Taliban and other terrorist organizations do to civilians and I especially don't like how they treat women. I'm not sure there are a lot of choices about how to deal with them.
Sadly, you can't really have it both ways. You can't wipe out the Taliban without killing civilians who hang out with them, including their wives and children. Give the Obama administration this: it's fighting the people that Bush should have been fighting all along and with whom he stopped bothering till the very end of his reign.
I don't know what members of the Right think; they're too busy criticizing Obama for not calling the Iranian government names to pay attention to what's happening in Pakistan. You'd think that they'd be cheering Obama on.
RECENT BUCK NAKED POLITICS POSTINGS
- Joe Klein Scores Off McCain, Gets Praise from Progressive Bloggers
- Needful Diversions: The Return of Sonya, the Slow Loris
- Colbert Interviews Historian Simon Schama
- Iranian Guardian Council Refuses to Annul Votes (News Round-Up with Video)
- SC Governor Mark Sanford Still Missing, but Scheduled to Return Tomorrow; Lt. Gov. Irked by Disappearance
- TPMtv's The Day in 100 Seconds: Neocons Who Wanted to Bomb Iran Bomb Obama with Criticism for Not Loving It Enough
- South Carolina Governor Goes Off the Grid?
- Strong Public Support for Public Health Insurance
- Britain Unveils New Lightweight Emissions-Free Hydrogen Powered Car
- Too Late for Single Payer Insurance? Some Senate Dems (Not to Mention GOPpers) Oppose Even Unsatisfactory Public Option
Comments