U.S. drone stikes kill 12 suspected militants in Pakistan

[pomeloseed]

The US is at war. War is messy, and yes, sometimes there are innocent victims or, in Pentagon-speak; "collateral damage." The first thing Pakistanis and Arabs should do is not conjugate with any people suspected of being baddies. Not even deliver camel dung to them. If you're rubbing shoulders with baddies, and the bomb drops out of the sky, you're likely to be vaporized along with them. The west happens to have superior weapons now, such as drone bombs, but history shows it's only a matter of time (and money, which they have a lot of) before the baddies get similar weapons. Do you think they'd hesitate for a Medina minute to use whatever weapons do the job?

bold is mine

Do you think the west hesitates to use them?

They bombed SUSPECTED militants. One may wish to have something a bit stronger than being suspected before they are killed. Do they know their names? What reason where they suspected or do they just call everyone suspects.

US military-speak uses the term 'suspected militants' when it could just as well use 'militants.' It would be a bit tougher to use 'confirmed militants,' as often Muslim extremists dress in womens clothing, and they intentionally hide behind women and children, and they never wear uniforms - which attests to their cowardly bent.

During Clinton's watch and before 9-11, the US had a golden opp to pulverize OBL at an Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan, but called off the attack at the last moment because sat-images detected women and children at the site.

[raylo]

With the wealth of data retrieved from OBL's rats nest, expect several military strikes soon.

As for 'fairness' or whatever about drone attacks. Of course militants hate them. Drones are silent heartless killers which zap from the sky with no warning, any time day or night. Yet, every time there's been a significant development in warfare or tactics there have been those who cry foul - from the first time primitive warriors tossed flaming torches on grass roofed huts. I just read about a Chinese jet fighter ace from the Korean war who took offense at US jets shooting Chinese jets as they were slowing down to land at their airfields, being too low on fuel to fight any more. He thought that was unbecoming of a warrior. Maybe so, but warfare is often about killing your enemies any way you can - and it's often a dirty business, with rarely a 'Miranda Rights' reading before a hit.

One cannot then blame the enemy with inferior weapons at their disposal, for using the same tactics and killing their enemy any way they can.

Or for the side with superior weapons, but restricted by moralistic rules, from doing it their way.

Stating infeior weapons suggest a desire to make it an even playing field. Would that mean both sides would have the exact same resources and

rules.

Never happens and is simplistic in its view of the world.

Or levelling the playing field could suggest that they do it by making idealists and mentally challenged people their secret weapon - which they obviously do-

but then that suggests something of this post

[coma]

More reason for the Pakistani government to get its military into line and into action in the region to clean that place up. We can airstrike them for decades and it will not change a thing. It needs to be cleared and held by ground troops. So Pakistan best get to it then they will not have these drones to worry about.

Drones can do damage to the other side, but yes, it will take ground troops to hold the area. And that should be local troops, in my opinion. The question is whether Pakistan can get their act in place to do this, either by capability or willingness.

I think Pakistan definately has the capability. The US has spend billions of dollars ensure\ing that they do. So it is more them lacking the willingness to go in there. They are more worried about the Indians and the Eastern border region as opposed to the War Zone that is the lawless western border. Maybe the US could get assurances from the Indians for a period of time that would allow Pakistan to redeploy its troops to said region.