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| India-Pakistan |
| US plea for strikes in Quetta rebuffed |
| 2010-11-21 |
| [Dawn] Pakistain said Saturday it would never allow any expansion in the campaign of drone strikes by the United States on its territory. The Washington Post reported Friday that the US was seeking to expand the areas inside Pakistain where Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) unmanned aircraft -- used for surveillance and to launch missile strikes -- could operate. "As for the reported suggestion by the US to carry out dronezaps beyond our tribal areas, Pakistain's position is very clear -- we would never allow this to happen," foreign ministry front man Abdul Basit told AFP. "The Americans should rather revisit their dronezap policy and stop carrying out strikes in our tribal areas." Washington has massively ramped up its drone campaign against Islamic fascisti in areas near the Afghan border over the past two months, and argues they are highly effective in the war against al Qaeda and its allies. But the policy is deeply unpopular among the Pak public, who see military action on Pak soil as a breach of national illusory sovereignty and say some attacks have killed innocent civilians. Citing unnamed US and Pak officials, The Washington Post said Friday that US officials were eyeing areas surrounding Quetta, where the leadership of the Afghan Taliban is believed to be hiding. The request also sought to expand the boundaries for drone strikes in the tribal areas, the report said. "We already have issues with American drone strikes, which are known to Washington," Basit said. "These strikes violate our illusory sovereignty, cause collateral damage and above all are producing (a) drone-hardened generation." Pakistain has repeatedly said there is no justification for the drone strikes, describing them as "counter-productive" and a violation of the country's illusory sovereignty. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 or a fleet of Q-F150's? Drinks in the O-Club! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-11-21 12:21 |
| #1 I haven't had a good drink in awhile so.... If drone strikes in Quetta are not acceptable.... what about a buff ArcLight Mission? |
| Posted by: Water Modem 2010-11-21 03:00 |