If you ask me the answer is a definite no. The air campaign that the US has been conducting in Pakistan is the X factor which is preventing al-Qaeda from doing more damage than they are doing already. Our servicemen and women serving in Afghanistan need all of the support that they can get. The drone campaign has certainly provided it which makes it invaluable.
If the life of one American troop or one civilian can be saved by the air strikes then they should not stop regardless of what the Pakistanis think. They have not been very helpful on the ground and in many cases they are believed to have been assisting the Taliban.
The Pakistanis are publicly condemning the US strikes although they are taking out many of the terrorists. These strikes have taken out so many of al-Qaedas top leadership that they have been severely hindered. Of particular note is the fact that so many of the Talibans top leadership have been killed in Pakistan. This certainly seems to indicate to me that the Pakistanis have been in compliance with the terrorists. When you couple this with the fact that they will hardly do anything to stop them from using their country as a safe haven it indicates complicity.
U.S. officials have indicated in private that they have no intention of stopping the covert CIA drone program in Pakistan.
Drone strikes were increased by the Obama administration when they took over the war on terror and have worked significantly by taking out many of the top al-Qaeda leaders, thus keeping the terrorists off balance. If they were halted the US would certainly take a step backwards in the gains that they have been able to make.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the strikes are in total contravention of international law and established norms of interstate relations. Now I will agree that this has a little bit of truth to it but the Pakistanis could make it a whole lot easier on themselves if they would simply cooperate with US efforts to retaliate against the terrorists who use their country as a safe haven.
The US has ignored tha Pakistanis who have been screaming for the attacks to be halted for quite a long time. The attacks are unpopular because many Pakistanis believe they mostly kill civilians, an allegation disputed by the U.S. and independent research. I am sure that there have been some civilian casualties as a result of the drone strikes which is regrettable but on the other hand I believe that the Taliban and al-Qaeda kill and injure many more innocents than the US can ever do with its drones.
The issue is complicated by the fact that some elements of the Pakistani government, including the military, have helped the U.S. carry out some of the strikes in the past. That cooperation has come under strain as the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated, but many analysts believe the Pakistani military still supports the program at some level.
The Pakistani military and the Pakistani government are at odds on many fronts which would seem to explain why they would be disjointed about the attacks. The government intelligence agencies have been implicated in helping the Taliban against the United States with supporting evidence but of course they have denied it. In light of all of this I believe that it would be a tragedy if the US did not continue the drone attacks in Pakistan. Military Ring Express
If the life of one American troop or one civilian can be saved by the air strikes then they should not stop regardless of what the Pakistanis think. They have not been very helpful on the ground and in many cases they are believed to have been assisting the Taliban.
The Pakistanis are publicly condemning the US strikes although they are taking out many of the terrorists. These strikes have taken out so many of al-Qaedas top leadership that they have been severely hindered. Of particular note is the fact that so many of the Talibans top leadership have been killed in Pakistan. This certainly seems to indicate to me that the Pakistanis have been in compliance with the terrorists. When you couple this with the fact that they will hardly do anything to stop them from using their country as a safe haven it indicates complicity.
U.S. officials have indicated in private that they have no intention of stopping the covert CIA drone program in Pakistan.
Drone strikes were increased by the Obama administration when they took over the war on terror and have worked significantly by taking out many of the top al-Qaeda leaders, thus keeping the terrorists off balance. If they were halted the US would certainly take a step backwards in the gains that they have been able to make.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the strikes are in total contravention of international law and established norms of interstate relations. Now I will agree that this has a little bit of truth to it but the Pakistanis could make it a whole lot easier on themselves if they would simply cooperate with US efforts to retaliate against the terrorists who use their country as a safe haven.
The US has ignored tha Pakistanis who have been screaming for the attacks to be halted for quite a long time. The attacks are unpopular because many Pakistanis believe they mostly kill civilians, an allegation disputed by the U.S. and independent research. I am sure that there have been some civilian casualties as a result of the drone strikes which is regrettable but on the other hand I believe that the Taliban and al-Qaeda kill and injure many more innocents than the US can ever do with its drones.
The issue is complicated by the fact that some elements of the Pakistani government, including the military, have helped the U.S. carry out some of the strikes in the past. That cooperation has come under strain as the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated, but many analysts believe the Pakistani military still supports the program at some level.
The Pakistani military and the Pakistani government are at odds on many fronts which would seem to explain why they would be disjointed about the attacks. The government intelligence agencies have been implicated in helping the Taliban against the United States with supporting evidence but of course they have denied it. In light of all of this I believe that it would be a tragedy if the US did not continue the drone attacks in Pakistan. Military Ring Express
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