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| India-Pakistan |
| Zardari: 'Give us the drones and we will take out the militants ourselves' |
| 2009-04-10 |
| Pakistan's president has called on America to provide his country with an arsenal of drones and missiles to target militants blamed for a wave of violence rather than carrying out independent operations that violate the nation's sovereignty. In an interview with The Independent, Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan had made it clear that it was willing to "take out high-value targets on our own, and we welcome the technology and intelligence assistance that will give us the ability to succeed". He added: "I cannot condone violations of our sovereignty even when they are done by allies and friends. We would much prefer that the US share its intelligence and give us the drones and missiles that will allow us to take care of this problem on our own." Mr Zardari's comments, made in a wide-ranging interview in which for the first time he conceded more than one of the 10 militants who carried out the Mumbai attacks may be Pakistani, came as senior US officials visited Islamabad and called for greater trust between the two countries. The Obama administration's regional envoy, Richard Holbrooke, said: "The United States and Pakistan face a common strategic threat, a common enemy and a common challenge and therefore a common task." Pakistan is confronted by a fresh spike in militant violence. Hundreds of people have been killed and wounded in recent weeks and a senior Pakistani Taliban leader has vowed that his suicide bombers will carry out two attacks every week. Ironically, the wave of violence, believed to have been carried out by militants loyal to the Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, has been seen as a response to an escalation by the US in the number of missile attacks launched against militants in Pakistan's tribal areas using pilotless drones. Mr Mehsud told journalists his recent operations were a direct act of revenge. Pakistan is under intense pressure to deal with the militants, especially those blamed for cross-border raids against Western troops in Afghanistan. Despite public denials, it is understood Pakistan co-operates with the US drone strikes. But there is little doubt that such tactics are increasingly unpopular with the Pakistani public. Mr Zardari said: "President Obama once said that he would act if we weren't willing and able. We certainly are willing and with international support we will become even more able." The President also acknowledged that more than a year after elections, many in Pakistan are growing frustrated with a seeming lack of progress. "After a decade of dictatorship the people had enormous expectations of rapid improvement in their lives. That is still very much our priority but the enormity of the economic crisis both within Pakistan and internationally, compounded by the war that we fight within and along our borders, has made progress much slower than we hoped." Asked about the disputes between his party and Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N at a time when many hoped the country's democratic parties would be working together, he said: "The ups and downs of democracy should not be interpreted as a lack of stability ... There is the usual tug of power politics and the tendency of some observers to paint Doomsday scenarios. But I think the people appreciate that our democratic government is functioning." He claimed Pakistan was co-operating with India's investigation into November's Mumbai attacks that left 164 people dead and that a "substantial" number of arrests had been made. He said those responsible were also threatening the "very existence" of his country. Asked about the nine militants whose bodies still lie in a Mumbai morgue, he said: "Our investigation ... is continuing. Some of these terrorists may in fact have been born in Pakistan. But we believe that this operation was international, with significant support from within India itself." Asked about a deal to allow sharia in the Swat valley, Mr Zardari said he and his allies had been led by "ground realities". He said the deal was intended to uncouple public demand for swifter justice from support for the Taliban. "I think it would be premature to call it a bad deal. It's an evolving situation." |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #11 ION WORLD MILITARY FORUM [GOOGLE Chinglish tranlation] > IIUC THE USA WILL NOT INTENTIONALLY FIND, KILL OSAMA BIN LADEN BECUZ IT COVERTLY USES THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN TO CONTAIN RUSSIA AND CHINA. THE US TO DESTROY OSAMA BIN LADEN IS TO DESTROY THEIR PROXIES AL-QAEDA AND THE TALIBAN. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-04-10 20:49 |
| #10 What about all the stuff we gave them that they used against the Balochis? |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-04-10 19:30 |
| #9 I think this could work. But with dual controls, like Drivers Ed cars. They start the mission, then it gets magically diverted to a real target, for which they get the responsibility, then we return control. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-04-10 18:18 |
| #8 Let's keep things the way they now stand. If you are a Talibunny in NW Territory. ask not for whom the drone toils. It toils for thee. Kaboom! Never more will you do your evil deeds. Never more. If I were one of them, I would call the reconnisance drones "The Shadow". The Shadow knows. OK, I'm done with my punning for awhile. The drone groans can end. |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2009-04-10 17:35 |
| #7 These are not the drones you're looking for... |
| Posted by: Obi-Wan Kenobi 2009-04-10 16:46 |
| #6 I expect we'd see more drone ops in J&K than in Swat |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-04-10 16:28 |
| #5 Pak drones come equipped with their own lashkar drums. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2009-04-10 16:27 |
| #4 Besmirching the Mighty Pak Army™. Ya oughta be ashamed, Johnny... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-04-10 16:20 |
| #3 How about you send in some, y'know' soldiers and do the job the old-fashioned way? What a cruel person you are, expecting the Pakistan army to actually walk the 20 ft across the street from Frontier Corps HQ and act against Haqqani or drive the half mile from Peshawar Garrison and its 60000 troops to the Taliban training camp. |
| Posted by: john frum 2009-04-10 16:18 |
| #2 Zardari: 'Give us the drones and we will take out the militants ourselves' Of course you will, Gomez. Especially all those Foreign Hand™ bastids in India... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-04-10 16:12 |
| #1 Sorry, boys, but if you want drones you'll have to build your own, like the Israelis. How about you send in some, y'know' soldiers and do the job the old-fashioned way? |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-04-10 16:03 |