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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistan: Drones to target Taliban on both sides of border |
| 2009-08-01 |
| [ADN Kronos] In a major strategy shift, the United States military has moved away the focus of its drone strikes from Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan to the Taliban on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, US media reported late on Thursday. To turn up the heat on the Taliban, the US Central Command, which oversees US military operations in the region, is sending a dozen more drones to Afghanistan, according to the Los Angeles Times. These include some currently used in Iraq and represent a 25 per cent increase in the Predator drone fleet in Afghanistan. A preliminary review by the US military has concluded that the command in Afghanistan requires up to four times as many Predators as it currently has to beat the militants. The aircraft redeployment means Afghan insurgents that have launched deadly attacks against the US will for the first time be hunted down by "dozens of drones capable of remaining over a target for hours undetected, identifying key individuals, and firing missiles within a matter of seconds," the Times reported. The change comes after US military commanders concluded their efforts were too focussed on tracking down Al-Qaeda targets, rather than strengthening Afghanistan and Pakistan in fighting the militants. But officials said defeating the terror group responsible for the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, still remained America's top priority, the report added. The US - frustrated by a resurgent Taliban which is drawing support from northwest Pakistan - has launched dozens of drone attacks since August 2008, mostly targeting Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan's tribal regions. The attacks have provoked fierce opposition in Pakistan even though the US military routinely does not confirm drone attacks. |
| Posted by:Fred |