The U.S. Drone War In Pakistan Is Back

6 Strikes, 8 Days, 35 Dead: The U.S. Drone War In Pakistan Is Back -- Danger Room

The sixth U.S. drone strike in Pakistan in 2013 has killed at least eight people, as if to announce the impending arrival at the CIA of the drone campaign’s chief advocate.

About 19 miles east of Mirin Shah, the main city in the tribal province of North Waziristan, at least one missile fired by a U.S. Predator or Reaper hit a compound Monday night, killing an alleged, unnamed “foreign tactical trainer” for al-Qaida, according to Pakistani intelligence sources talking to Reuters. Another strike hit the nearby village of Eissu Khel, the Long War Journal reports. In addition to the alleged al-Qaida member, at least seven others were killed and three more were injured.

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My Comment: Again ... no Congressional debate .... no anti-war protests in America .... lmited news coverage .... no outrage from from the media/pundits/academia .... just fighting a war and hoping that the blow-back (and there will be blow-back one day) will not be that severe.

Multiple U.S. Drone Strikes Reported In Pakistan Today

17 Killed In Three Drone Attacks -- News International

WANA/PESHAWAR: At least 17 people, all believed to be suspected militants, were killed and eight others sustained injuries in three separate US drone attacks in the mountainous Babar area of Ladha subdivision in South Waziristan Agency, official and tribal sources said on Sunday.

According to sources, the drones fired 10 missiles and hit three different compounds of militants located in the remote mountainous Babar area of Ladha subdivision, 140 kilometres northeast of South Waziristan’s headquarters Wana on Saturday night.

The compounds were reportedly inhabited by the tribal militants affiliated with Hakimullah Mehsud’s Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and members of the Punjabi Taliban group.There were also reports that three among the slain militants were regional Taliban commanders, but their identity could not be ascertained. Some government officials believed the death toll in the three simultaneous drone strikes was higher than what was reported by the media.

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More News On Today's U.S. Drone Strikes In Pakistan

US drones strike again in South Waziristan -- Long War Journal
Officials: Suspected U.S. drone strike kills 17 in Pakistan's tribal region -- CNN
Taliban commander among 16 killed in U.S. drone strike in NW Pakistan -- Xinhuanet
Drone kills TTP’s suicide wing chief -- DAWN
Volley of US missiles kills 12 in SWA -- Daily Times
Drone attacks kill dozens -- The Hindu
Thousands protest drone strikes in Pakistan -- The Hindu

Top Pakistani Taliban Commander Killed In U.S. Drone Strike

'Good Taliban' Leader Mullah Nazir Killed In US Drone Strike -- Long War Journal

The US killed a senior Taliban leader in one of three drone strikes that took place in the Pakistani tribal areas over the past 24 hours; he had identified himself as an al Qaeda leader and also was favored by the Pakistani state. A separate strike killed a commander in the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan along with two Uzbeks.

Mullah Nazir, the leader of the Taliban in the Wazir area of South Waziristan, was killed by the CIA-operated Predators or Reapers in a strike in the Birmal area of South Waziristan, tribal leaders and Pakistani intelligence officials told Dawn. The remotely piloted drones fired a pair of missiles at a vehicle, killing Nazir; two of his deputies, Atta Ullah and Rafey Khan; a commander known as Rata Khan; and two other fighters.

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More News On The U.S. Drone Strike Targeting Pakistani Taliban Leader Maulvi Nazir

U.S. Drone Strike Kills a Top Pakistani Militant -- New York Times
Pakistan says US drones kill senior Taliban figure -- AP
Pakistan militant Mullah Nazir 'killed in drone attack' -- BBC
US drone strike kills Pakistan Taliban commander -- The Guardian
US drone kills senior Pakistan tribal leader -- Al Jazeera
US Drone Strike Kills Top Pakistani Militant -- Voice of America
Local Pakistani officials: U.S. drone strike kills at least 6, including militant commander -- Washington Post
2 drone attacks kill 15 in Pakistan -- CNN
US drone strike in Pakistan kills influential Taliban commander -- Christian Science Monitor
“Good Taliban” leader’s death a significant blow, Pentagon says -- E-Ring/Foreign Policy
Taliban's Mullah Nazir death spells trouble for Pakistan -- M Ilyas Khan BBC News

U.S. Drone Strikes Escalate In Yemen

U.S. Drone Strikes In Yemen Increase -- McClatchy News

SANAA, Yemen — In the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden, Yemen – home to al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula – has come close to eclipsing Pakistan as a key focus of American counter-terrorism efforts.

In 2011, then-CIA director David Petraeus characterized the group as the “most dangerous node in the global jihad” and the American government’s action has appeared to echo the rhetoric. Notably, the number of American airstrikes in Yemen, largely carried out by unmanned drones, has surged over the past year, as much as tripling in frequency in comparison with 2011.

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My Comment: Blow-black is becoming a greater concern as these drone strikes continue .... unfortunately .... for the moment Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. is right when he is saying that drone strikes are the 'least horrible' choice in places like Yemen.

U.S. Drone Strikes Becoming The Norm In Afghanistan

The U.S. Air Force supplied information of drone strikes shows a sharp increase from 2011 to 2012

Revealed: U.S. Carried Out 333 Drone Strikes In Afghanistan This Year Alone - More Than The Entire Drone Strikes In Pakistan Over The Past Eight Years COMBINED -- Daily Mail

* U.S. carried out 333 drone strikes in Afghanistan in 2012, report says, up from 294 in 2011
* Controversial method of fighting uses remote pilots to operate aircrafts

The United States carried out more drone strikes in Afghanistan this year than it has done in all the years put together in Pakistan since it launched the covert air war there eight years ago, it has been revealed.

The statistics, published by the U.S. Air Force and published by Wired’s Danger Room blog, show that there were 333 drone strikes in Afghanistan in 2012 alone, up from 294 in the previous year and 278 in 2010.

It is far more than an estimated 338 strikes carried out by the CIA in Pakistan since it began hunting down remnants of al Qaeda, the Taliban and other militant groups in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas eight years ago.

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My Comment: Manned combat aircraft are still the norm .... but the trend is (slowly but surely) going the other way.

Are U.S. Drone Strikes In Yemen 'Overkill'?

Family, Neighbors Of Yemeni Killed By U.S. Drone Wonder Why He Wasn’t Taken Alive -- McClatchy News

BEIT AL AHMAR, Yemen — The Nov. 7 drone strike that killed alleged al Qaida-linked operative Adnan al Qadhi outside Beit al Ahmar was just one of more than 50 American airstrikes believed to have taken place in Yemen so far this year.

Unlike the usual post-strike conjecture, however, this one has unleashed a flurry of speculation about why Qadhi, a well-known figure in this town, was targeted in such a violent and anonymous way.

American counterterrorism officials have painted drone strikes as a tool of last resort, utilized only when targets represent an imminent threat and are nearly impossible to take out by other means. But people in Beit al Ahmar say it’s hard to argue that Qadhi’s capture would have been out of the question. He’d already been arrested, and released, before, in 2008 after an attack on the American Embassy. And Beit al Ahmar, nine miles outside Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, is no isolated enclave – it’s the birthplace of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and home to much of the military’s leadership.

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My Comment: The intent was never to capture him .... after-all .... if Adnan al Qadhi was captured where would the U.S. imprison him. This was a kill order (like all drone strikes), and there was no interest in capturing him.

Using Google Maps Reveals The 'Real Places' Hit By U.S. Drones

A Yemeni town struck by a U.S. drone on Oct. 18. This Google Maps satellite image may show the town months to years before the drone strike occurred. CREDIT: Dronestagram

Dronestagram Reveals the 'Real Places' Hit by U.S. Drones -- Tech News Daily

Google Maps' satellite view offers an easy way to virtually visit hard-to-reach spots around the world, from tropical islands to Antarctica. Now, a freelance designer is using the service to take viewers on a more serious tour. James Brindle posts satellite images of the towns in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia that U.S. and U.K. drones recently hit, revealing towns as they were before the attacks.

On Nov. 8, the morning after the U.S. election, Brindle posted an image of a Yemeni village that the U.S. struck the night before. That and other Dronestagram pictures come from a Google flyover, which may have occurred a few years ago, so they don't show damage from the drone strikes.

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My Comment: A cool tool if monitoring U.S. drone strikes is your thing.

Another U.S. Drone Strike In Pakistan

Suspected U.S. Drone Strike Kills 16 In Pakistan -- CNN

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A suspected U.S. drone strike killed 16 people and wounded six Thursday in one of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal regions, two officials said.

The attack, which included four missiles, targeted a compound on the border of Orakzai Agency and North Waziristan, a local government official and a military official said.

The compound belonged to Maulvi Shakirullah, a militant affiliated with the Haqqani network, the officials said.

The network is widely viewed to be fueling the insurgency in Afghanistan

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More News On Today's Suspected US Drone Strike In Pakistan

US drone strike kills 18 in Pakistan -- The Australian
US drones kill 16 'militants' in Arakzai strike -- Long War Journal
'US drone strike' in Pakistan kills 10 suspected militants -- BBC
U.S. missiles kill 10 militants in Pakistan -- AP
Suspected US Drone Strike Kills 10 in Pakistan -- Voice of America
Pakistan lodges protest against U.S. drone strikes -- Xinhuanet

What Is The Real Drone 'Body Count'?

An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft takes off from Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Photo: USAF

Not Even the White House Knows the Drones’ Body Count -- The Danger Room

Government officials claim they’re ultra-precise killing machines that never, ever miss their targets. Outside groups say they’re covered in children’s blood. The fact is no one has a clue exactly how many militants and how many innocents have been slain in the U.S. drone war that spans from Pakistan to Somalia. Remember that before you start your next Twitter feud about the drone war.

Neither the American government nor the independent agencies have the consistent presence on the ground needed to put together true assessments of the damage drone strikes do. Most of the evidence is third-hand, whispered from a local soldier to a far-off reporter. The death toll claims, which vary wildly, are all educated guesswork.

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My Comment: We will never know the true number .... hence the reason why we call it "the fog of war".

Another U.S. Drone Strike In Pakistan

American missiles slammed into suspected militant hideouts Friday, killing 18 suspected militants, officials added. Reuters Photo

US Drone Attack Kills 18 In Restive North Waziristan, Despite Pakistan Protests -- Christian Science Monitor

US missiles killed 18 suspected militants near the Afghan border, just a day after the Pakistan government summoned a US diplomat to protest the use of drone attacks.

American missiles targeting suspected militants in Pakistan along the Afghan border killed 18 today, just one day after Pakistani authorities met with a United States diplomat to protest drone strikes in the country.

The US drone campaign has been a serious contributor of tension between the US and Pakistan, and today’s attacks were the fourth in one week, reports the Associated Press. All of this week’s attacks took place in North Waziristan, an especially restive area where the Pakistani military has yet to conduct any operations against militants.

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More News On Today's US Drone Strikes In Pakistan

US drones strike again in North Waziristan's Shawal Valley -- Long War Journal
Kashmiri jihadist commander killed in North Waziristan drone strike -- Long War Journal
At Least 18 Killed in U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan -- New York Times
Suspected U.S. drone strike kills 18 -- UPI
Pakistan: US drones hit militant hideouts, kill 18 -- AP
US drone strike 'kills 16' in Pakistan -- BBC
Whether Pak likes it or not, US drone strikes will go on -- Rediff

Two U.S. Drone Strike In Yemen Being Reported

US Kills AQAP Bombmaker, 9 Fighters In Pair Of Strikes In Yemen -- Long War Journal

The US launched two drone strikes against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen today, killing a senior bombmaker and nine other fighters. The US has now conducted three strikes in Yemen in the past four days. Meanwhile, jihadists named one of the AQAP fighters killed in Saturday's drone strike.

In the first strike, the unmanned Predators or Reapers fired several missiles at two vehicles traveling in the town of Rawdah in Baydah province, The Associated Press reported. Yemeni officials said that Abdullah Awad al Masri, a wanted bombmaker who is also known as Abou Osama al Maribi, was killed in the strike. It is unclear if he is a Yemeni, however, as his surname, al Masri, indicates he is an Egyptian.

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More News On US Drone Strikes In Yemen

Yemen: US drone strikes kill 10 al-Qaida militants -- Boston.com/AP
Drones strafe Yemen Qaeda positions: tribal sources -- AFP
Yemen reports 4 militants killed by army, US drone strike -- FOX News/AP
Yemen raids kill 13 Qaeda suspects in two days -- Daily Star
Yemen Strike Kills Key Al-Qaeda Leader, Foreign Militants -- Yemen Post