Major al-Qaida leaders killed in US drone strikes
Al Qaeda's deputy leader, Abu Yahya al-Libi, was killed in a drone strike in northern Pakistan, an American official confirmed on Tuesday, in the biggest single success in the controversial campaign's eight-year history.
Mr. Libi, who was believed to be in his late 40s, moved up to become Al Qaeda’s deputy, behind Ayman al-Zawahri.
One of the most senior al-Qaeda figures in Afghanistan was killed in a weekend air strike, Nato-led forces say. In a statement, Nato described Saudi-born Sakhar al-Taifi as the group's second-most senior figure in Afghanistan. Sakhar al-Taifi died in "a precision air strike" in the Watahpur district of Kunar province, according to a Nato statement. Another rank and file member of al-Qaeda was killed at the same time. Al-Taifi, who also went by the names of Mustaq and Nasim, arranged for weapons and insurgent fighters to be transported into Afghanistan, Nato says.
I have discussed the use of drones in the past and of course I have a controversial viewpoint on this. If you think about the growing situations around the world requiring not boots on the ground necessarily but watching I believe 100% you will agree.As I always say you must look at the whole picture before forming an opinion, that certainly applies here too.
Under Obama from the beginning The United States has stepped up its attacks with the pilot less drone aircraft attacks in Pakistan even more so since a double agent blew himself up at a U.S. base in Afghanistan on December 30, killing seven CIA agents. The so called weak President on terror has drastically increased the use of like it or not what has become an important tool in the so called war on terror, drones. We should have used them exclusively in Afghanistan, we could have saved Billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives.
Are we at war or not? I am not going to say the US should be able to put boots on the ground wherever she wants in this still just beginning so called war on terror but it must be realized and acknowledged that like it or not the US is a prime target if not the main target and is the prime face in the so called war on terror.
The big argument against the use of Drones is innocent people are sometimes killed. I am sorry for that but question the numbers as the extremist we are killing in every instance say we are killing civilians when we are killing them to anger civilians and create and enforce world sentiment against the use of drones.
We have been saying from the beginning that this is a new kind of war, a war like no other. We the entire world better make believe they realize that and act accordingly. Our future depends on it. Everyone who reads my reports knows I did not trust Bush and Cheney an iota. They made me question everything we have done in the past.
That said, I would hope that Obama has no designs of dominating the sovereignty of Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Africa, or anywhere else we have to go to prosecute this so called war on terror. Muslim countries do not want our boots on the ground so they have to allow openly or clandestinely our use of drones in this the first war of the 21st century!
The uses of Drone’s are a necessary evil even as just an observer as the events in Syria, Iran, and the Arab spring countries certainly must prove. They are our equalizer as IED’s are the militant’s necessary evil and equalizer in the new battlefront! The draw back in IED’s or drones is civilian casualties, by the extremists killing civilians is their goal not so called collateral damage. Civilians always pay the price!
That said, civilian casualties are hard to verify as the so called enemy inflates the numbers to win the media war for hearts and minds with wild allegations as we are not allowed to put boots on the ground in Yemen or Pakistan. We can not relent and we must all increase our efforts and do what we can to ensure our success and our successful future!
35 years ago I was in hardened nuclear missile silo's 70 feet underground. I am sure we are still there to counter any threat from China or Russia. We have a command devoted to operating and maintaining these systems. I agree that we should be doing the same thing with drones. Reading the link at the top I knew Drones were being used in Yemen, Somalia, and Libya but was surprised to read about the even more wide spread housing and use of Drones.
It is a necessary evil and at the very least I firmly believe we should set up a separate command dedicated to their use and maintenance. I firmly believe all our troops around the world not just in Iraq, Afghanistan, Serbia, the Philippines, Africa, and everywhere else they are openly and clandestinely should be brought home where they are needed and we should be watching events around the world with drones.
If countries do not want them there they can get rid of the so called terrorist threat by policing themselves and we will have to go home or be the unnecessary aggressor we appear to be.
James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com
2 comments:
Jim you of all people should know that using bombs in this case is not the answer. Even our own generals have said as much. This is a war of ideology. One that must be fought by education and propaganda. These people have a very rudimentary sense of justice and when you kill their wives sons and daughters you're not gaining any hearts and minds.
They may be inflating the number but so are we. It's starting to remind me of the figures out of Vietnam during that period. And once one "top" Al Qaeda leader is killed another one takes his place.
Remember we created this monster when Afghanistan was fighting the Russians. In that case we used their religious fanaticism against the Russians and then installed the Taliban.
As Afghanistan and Pakistan are basically third world countries I doubt seriously that we'll ever be able to have anything close to a victory in our lifetime.
When reading alot of this Jim, there was alot of thinking that I also agree on here ... so Amen to that! I think I first heard of drone's nearly a decade ago, way before I ever was online (been online about 4 year's now) and thought they would be excellent for defense as far as being able to stop some of the conventional combat that we constantly have to engage in, especially in some of these flea bag f'n countries (that I wouldnt even have our highly skilled in frankly). I'm not against traditional combat Jim, but also realize that we dont have to be in it to get good excercise's and training is all, and I only like using shit when necessary, to me I feel war's has become a bigger business than ever, especially with these corporate interest's being behind so much more today than ever it seem's like. But now also looking at the various kind's of new drone technologies being worked on now and uses, we should have also suspected that there will also be some foul play, and of course the mini spy drone thing observing all of us, I mean, before long a MF wont be able to engage in small chat on a street corner without some tech zooming in on it ... so alot of work as far a sright's, use, etc has to be ironed out. Yes Jim ... my concern is hoping also that we dont try dominating too many countries and babysitting ourselves into more goddamn austerity phoney baloney talk as well. Enough from me though. One thing fo sho tho, I sure as Hell dont want Romney and a bunch of Repulican's gaining any power ... shiiit ... we'll need to speak bloody Pakistani as a 2nd language : )
Hope you had a decent Fathers Day bud ....
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