Sources close to the administration said the policy, which is the only direct means the US has of targeting terrorist leaders, was being "re-evaluated" because of its adverse affect on public opinion and its value to the Taliban as a propaganda tool.
| Remember, Obama was the tough guy who openly talked about invading Pakistain. |
"I have no doubt there is a change of mood," said a Washington source. "The administration recognises that the political challenges are so immense for Pakistan's government that the US has to re-evaluate what it has regarded as an otherwise successful programme."
| Killing a whole bunch more of the Talibs would make the job of the Pak military marginally easier, wouldn't it? |
Mr Obama has increased the rate of drone attacks operated by the CIA after his predecessor George W Bush approved a previous escalation last summer. The agency has carried out at least 16 Predator strikes in Pakistan in the first four months of this year, compared with 36 strikes in 2008, killing about 161 people since Mr Obama was inaugurated on Jan 20. Exploiting improved intelligence on the ground, the missile attacks, launched from 20,000 feet, have succeeded in killing leading militants in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas where the militancy is based.
The increased use of hi-tech missiles by a foreign power against mountain villages has inflamed public opinion as many of the dead have been civilians.
| Which unfortunately happens since the brave,brave Lions of Islam™ hide amongst the civilians. And then denounce us for going after them. This is standard terrorism 101. |
Several protests have been staged against the use of drones, with the Zardari government denouncing the US even as it gave tacit approval for the air strikes.
With the Pakistani military belatedly fighting back against the Taliban, influential voices in Washington have urged the White House to stop or dramatically scale back the use of drones.
Col David Kilcullen, formerly a senior adviser to Gen David Petraeus, the US commander in the region, told a Congressional hearing: "We need to call off the drones."
"I realise that they do damage to the al-Qaeda leadership, but... the drone strikes are highly unpopular. They are deeply aggravating to the population and they've given rise to a feeling of anger that coalesces the population around the extremists and leads to spikes of extremism. The current path that we are on is leading us to loss of Pakistani government control over its own population."
| As if the government ever had control ... |
Col Kilcullen, who has also informally advised the Obama administration and British government, said yesterday: “The Pakistani population sees the drones as neo-colonial, and they are especially unpopular in the Punjab, where there is a rising militancy.”
Steve Coll, president of the New America Foundation, said the administration was "acknowledging that there is an interaction between the attacks and political instability and are re-evaluating the costs and benefits of these attacks".
He said the Obama administration decided to intensify the attacks in the hope they would reach the top of al-Qaeda quickly. He added: "My sense is they were looking at their watches trying to finish the job but they have run out of time."
A temporary cessation in air assaults would offer a considerable reprieve to their main targets such as al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, his deputy Ayman al Zawahiri and Beitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban held responsible for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the former president, last year.
Political sensitivities prevent the presence of US troops on the ground in Pakistan, while counter-insurgency training of Pakistan's forces has yet to begin in earnest. The Obama administration is planning to accelerate funds for night vision equipment, helicopters and a training programme but delivery would still take several months.
The White House said that it offered its “unequivocal support” to both foreign leaders, signaling that after weeks of criticism it has realized that it is US interests to support both men. |