Pakistani Taliban leader possibly killed in U.S. drone strike

[News_Editor]

Pakistani Taliban leader possibly killed in U.S. drone strike

2012-01-16 23:51:52 GMT+7 (ICT)

PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- The top leader of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is better known as the Pakistani Taliban, is believed to have been killed in a U.S. drone strike last week, intelligence officials said on Monday.

Pakistani intelligence officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they intercepted radio conversations between suspected Taliban militants as they discussed whether their leader Hakimullah Mehsud had been killed following a U.S. drone strike. Some militants were believed to have said that Mehsud was confirmed to have been killed.

But Taliban spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsanhave firmly denied the reports, saying that Mehsud was not in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan on Thursday, where a U.S. drone targeted a vehicle carrying suspected militants. Earlier reports said at least six people had been killed, while two others were injured.

However, on previous occasions, Taliban spokespersons have given false and misleading information to the media. In May 2011, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in the Pakistani city of Abbotabad. The Pakistani Taliban initially rejected the reports, but al-Qaeda later confirmed that Bin Laden had been killed.

Since August 2009, Mehsud has served as the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, which has been behind numerous terrorist attacks in Pakistan. The group draws ideological guidance from al-Qaeda while al-Qaeda is believed to rely on the Pakistani Taliban for safe haven in the Pashtun areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border.

The mutual cooperation between two of the most prominent terrorist organizations in the world gives the Pakistani group access to both al-Qaeda's global terrorist network and the operational experience of its members. The Pakistani Taliban is suspected of being involved in the 2007 assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the attempted bombing in Times Square in May 2010.

Thursday's airstrike in North Waziristan came only two days after U.S. drones resumed their controversial attacks in Pakistan following a break of more than six weeks. Four suspected militants were killed on Tuesday last week when a U.S. drone carried out an airstrike, also in North Waziristan.

The U.S. temporarily halted its drone attacks in Pakistan in late November after NATO helicopters crossed the border from Afghanistan and carried out several airstrikes in the Mohmand Agency of Pakistan's tribal areas, accidentally killing 24 Pakistani troops. The strike infuriated the Pakistani government and triggered widespread anti-U.S. demonstrations.

Prior to Tuesday's airstrike, the last time a U.S. drone launched an attack within Pakistan was on November 17 when sixteen suspected militants were killed, including at least two members of the Pakistani Taliban.

In 2011, at least 609 people were killed as a result of 75 drone strikes in Pakistan, according to a report released by the Conflict Monitoring Center. In total, the group has documented 303 drone strikes since 2004, with a total death toll of at least 2,661.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-01-16

[koheesti]

Prior to Tuesday's airstrike, the last time a U.S. drone launched an attack within Pakistan was on November 17 when sixteen suspected militants were killed, including at least two members of the Pakistani Taliban.

Maybe there have been more, just that it comes out now because of a high value target perhaps getting killed.

[Steely Dan]

Terrible things these drones.

[maidu]

'Live by the sword, die by the sword.'

Just so happens, the US has swords that are emotionless, have infinite patience, and strike with one second of prior notice - whoooosh, bang!

Hope the baddies don't get the same tech anytime soon.

[flying]

'Live by the sword, die by the sword.'

Just so happens, the US has swords that are emotionless, have infinite patience, and strike with one second of prior notice - whoooosh, bang!

Hope the baddies don't get the same tech anytime soon.

That of course is true & rightfully so.

There are obviously problems with this emotionless system though. One is accuracy of intel & collateral damages.

secondly we are not at war with Afghanistan AFAIK so this collateral damages have been mounting & we are in fact making enemies where they

once did not exist

Another issue is that the drone program in Pakistan is not run by the US Military but by the CIA

There are many problems with that in itself.

Lastly it is doubtful at best that this has made America or Americans any safer.....In fact a good argument could be put forward that it has made us less safe.

But it obviously is what it is for now & we will have to see what the next group of politicians do or dont do about it.

That is of course whether or not there is a new group coming in January or more of the same.

Edited January 17, 2012 by flying

[Ulysses G.]

Terrible things these drones.

Yes. What a shame.

[Scott]

Quote with no link has been deleted, along with a reply.

[Scott]

Please note that when posting quoted text, please do not post more than the first 3 sentences and then a link to the remainder of the article. This is a fair use issue and quoting more can be a violation of copyright.

[flying]

Sorry I see it was my post that was deleted.

I am quite sure the link was the first line but here it is again in case.............

Drone Wars: The rationale

The once covert, highly-secretive and little talked about strategy of using unmanned aerial vehicles to target suspected terrorists in Pakistan and elsewhere has gone mainstream. And now everyone is talking about it.

As for the fair use rule....Sorry it seems to be sometimes allowed to quote & other times not.

I will try to remember in this forum section to use only 3 lines

Edited January 17, 2012 by flying

[koheesti]

If you quote Wikipedia "fair use" doesn't come into play.

[Steely Dan]

Terrible things these drones.

Yes. What a shame.

Amazing.

Infact sickening. Dont you know hundreds of innocent kids get killed in these drone attacks. Also many hundreds more lose parents. Your ok though sitting his infront of your pc all day oblivious to it all.

You really should be ashamed of your ignorance.

I wasn't aware the Pakistani Taliban had child commanders, I thought the children were reserved as suicide bomb fodder. P.S Whilst in front of your PC I suggest you educate yourself about the human rights abuses committed by the Taliban, but then again ignorance is bliss, or so they say.

[maiphedmaiaroi]

Terrible things these drones.

Yes. What a shame.

Amazing.

Infact sickening. Dont you know hundreds of innocent kids get killed in these drone attacks. Also many hundreds more lose parents. Your ok though sitting his infront of your pc all day oblivious to it all.

You really should be ashamed of your ignorance.

I wasn't aware the Pakistani Taliban had child commanders, I thought the children were reserved as suicide bomb fodder. P.S Whilst in front of your PC I suggest you educate yourself about the human rights abuses committed by the Taliban, but then again ignorance is bliss, or so they say.

What are you talking about? Brainwashed are you?

Drone attacks kill hundreds of innocent people. FACT.

Edited January 17, 2012 by maiphedmaiaroi

[Scott]

Inflammatory post and replies removed. Poster given a suspension.

[zooweemama]

Terrible things these drones.

Yes. What a shame.

Any news yet whether Iran has been able to reverse engineer the drone they downed, or offload it to some nation that can. Cant wait to Iran get their own drones.

[Steely Dan]

Terrible things these drones.

Yes. What a shame.

Any news yet whether Iran has been able to reverse engineer the drone they downed, or offload it to some nation that can. Cant wait to Iran get their own drones.

They have reverse engineered it, in pink plastic no less.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/us-drone-that-crashed-in-iran-goes-miniature/2012/01/17/gIQAAzAi5P_blog.html

An Iranian firm, seeking to capitalize on the frenzy that followed the crash of the drone — and American calls to have it returned — is now producing miniaturized toy versions of the craft. Most of the toys, which come in several colors and are made of Iranian plastic, have already been snapped up by Iranian government organizations, according to the group that manufactures them.

At least one model — a pink one — has been reserved for President Obama.

[maidu]

drones not used just for war:

In June 2011, an unarmed predator was employed stateside to help catch cattle rustlers. Department of Homeland Security owns eight predators for surveillance and occasionally assists local law enforcement. The cattle rustlers had been arrested, then jumped bail and holed up on their vast ranch near Lakota, N.D., but the predator spotted their exact location on the property, leading to a raid that ended without bloodshed. [Fargo Forum, 12-11-2011]

[koheesti]

What are you talking about? Brainwashed are you?

Drone attacks kill hundreds of innocent people. FACT.

They also kill dozens of bad Taliban leaders who give send people out as suicide bombers, IED planters, etc who kill many more people than the drones. So at the end of the day, lives have actually been saved by the drone strikes.

[flying]

What are you talking about? Brainwashed are you?

Drone attacks kill hundreds of innocent people. FACT.

They also kill dozens of bad Taliban leaders who give send people out as suicide bombers, IED planters, etc who kill many more people than the drones. So at the end of the day, lives have actually been saved by the drone strikes.

Facts suggest otherwise

[Ulysses G.]

What are you talking about? Brainwashed are you?

Drone attacks kill hundreds of innocent people. FACT.

They also kill dozens of bad Taliban leaders who give send people out as suicide bombers, IED planters, etc who kill many more people than the drones. So at the end of the day, lives have actually been saved by the drone strikes.

Correct. If they keep this up, these terrorists who exploit others and convince them to kill innocent people will give up as they are not real keen on giving up their own lives.

[maidu]

Both the terrorists and the coalition forces are lessening overpopulation - in a region of the world with a carrying capacity at about 1 person per acre.

[Steely Dan]

Both the terrorists and the coalition forces are lessening overpopulation - in a region of the world with a carrying capacity at about 1 person per acre.

Hmmm, If you take a detached view of this fact one can wonder whether the backward belief systems and innate savagery of the local population is infact an evolutionary adaptation to cater for the low carrying capacity of the land; just in the way aquarium fish regulate their growth and reproduction depending on the concentration of their own urine in the water.

[koheesti]

What are you talking about? Brainwashed are you?

Drone attacks kill hundreds of innocent people. FACT.

They also kill dozens of bad Taliban leaders who give send people out as suicide bombers, IED planters, etc who kill many more people than the drones. So at the end of the day, lives have actually been saved by the drone strikes.

Facts suggest otherwise

Yes, you're right. I probably have underestimated the lives saved by killing the terrorists.

[flying]

They also kill dozens of bad Taliban leaders who give send people out as suicide bombers, IED planters, etc who kill many more people than the drones. So at the end of the day, lives have actually been saved by the drone strikes.

Facts suggest otherwise

Yes, you're right. I probably have underestimated the lives saved by killing the terrorists.

ummm........underlined what I was replying to for clarification

As to the lives saved by the thousands killed would that include the thousands of collateral damages?Or did they not count?

How about the decades of cancer patients that will result from the depleted uranium in bombs/ammo used?

Just saw a special on all the deformed babies now being born in Iraq as a result.

I expect the same reward for Afghanistan & Pakistan.....ahhhhh

At the end of the day are you safer? Is anyone?.....really?

Look at recent events in Thailand at the claimed attempts on soft targets.

Edited January 19, 2012 by flying

[Steely Dan]

At the end of the day are you safer? Is anyone?.....really?

Look at recent events in Thailand at the claimed attempts on soft targets.

You consistently espouse the views of Ron Paul, that all the ills in the Muslim world are a direct result of U.S foreign policy. Never mind the fact that Islamic extremists have been acting in much the same way 1000 years before the founding fathers were even born.

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/01/18/ron-pauls-absurd-golden-rule/

Congressman Ron Paul showed in the January 17th Fox News debate why he would be so dangerous as president and commander-in-chief. He believes, in a twist on the Judeo-Christian Golden Rule, that our Islamist enemies are only assaulting us because we assaulted them first. Sorry, appeaser-in-chief Paul, but the Koran commands devout jihadists to use whatever means are necessary to destroy all infidels, no matter what we have done or plan to do to them.

P.S Mods, I don't wish to take this too far off topic, but this does address the root argument oft repeated about drone attacks or indeed U.S military presence anywhere.

[Scott]

Exception noted, SD. Let's try not to stray too far off the topic.

Thanks.

[flying]

You consistently espouse the views of Ron Paul, that all the ills in the Muslim world are a direct result of U.S foreign policy. Never mind the fact that Islamic extremists have been acting in much the same way 1000 years before the founding fathers were even born.

Well thank you I take that as a compliment

As to Islamic extremist yes at it many years same as most extremist like Zionist etc.......It is what they do......Extremist are after all extreme

What does that have to do with us?

Lets face it much of what we do there is in support of another extremist.

Are we to police the world then?

I think not & if you think so......how long do you think that job will last?

In fact at times I wonder if countries like Russia smile knowingly on where we are headed having been there themselves.

For the record this guy is not Ron Paul

http://www.fff.org/comment/AdamsPolicy.asp

Edited January 19, 2012 by flying

[Steely Dan]

You consistently espouse the views of Ron Paul, that all the ills in the Muslim world are a direct result of U.S foreign policy. Never mind the fact that Islamic extremists have been acting in much the same way 1000 years before the founding fathers were even born.

Well thank you I take that as a compliment

As to Islamic extremist yes at it many years same as most extremist like Zionist etc.......It is what they do......Extremist are after all extreme

What does that have to do with us?

Are we to police the world then? Lets face it much of what we do there is in support of another extremist.

I think not & if you think so......how long do you think that job will last?

In fact at times I wonder if countries like Russia smile knowingly on where we are headed having been there themselves.

I bet the Russians wished they had drones back then.

[flying]

I bet the Russians wished they had drones back then.

They would have gone bankrupt even faster

[WarpSpeed]

'Live by the sword, die by the sword.'

Just so happens, the US has swords that are emotionless, have infinite patience, and strike with one second of prior notice - whoooosh, bang!

Hope the baddies don't get the same tech anytime soon.

Unfortunately we handed them one on a silver platter ..

[WarpSpeed]

You consistently espouse the views of Ron Paul, that all the ills in the Muslim world are a direct result of U.S foreign policy. Never mind the fact that Islamic extremists have been acting in much the same way 1000 years before the founding fathers were even born.

Well thank you I take that as a compliment

As to Islamic extremist yes at it many years same as most extremist like Zionist etc.......It is what they do......Extremist are after all extreme

What does that have to do with us?

Lets face it much of what we do there is in support of another extremist.

Are we to police the world then?

I think not & if you think so......how long do you think that job will last?

In fact at times I wonder if countries like Russia smile knowingly on where we are headed having been there themselves.

For the record this guy is not Ron Paul

http://www.fff.org/c...AdamsPolicy.asp

Unfortunately your naivety knows no bounds as the world is no longer disconnected like the past and one bad apple does spoil the whole bunch now theses days so it is an unfortunate reality that YES we (meaning the west as a whole in this case) have to be the worlds police until the rest catches up to the morals and civility of a modern society required to do their own..

Edited January 19, 2012 by WarpSpeed