Drone attacks on tribal areas, particularly on Waziristan, continued with brief intervals while the US and NATO leadership is insisting Pakistan on the re-opening of supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan via land routes of Pakistan, which were suspended after November 26, 2011 Salala Check Post attack, in which NATO forces killed 24 Pakistani military personnel.
The drone attacks on Pakistani soil –a country known as frontline state in war on terror and a non-NATO ally of the United States – started in 2005 when on May 16, 2005 US drone targeted a house in Toorikhel area of Mir Ali in North Waziristan Agency in which one person was killed, though the US claimed that Al Qaeda leader Haitham al-Yemeni was killed but it was not confirmed. Until the last drone attack of May 24, 2012 in which US drone targeted a mosque in Haso Khell village of Mir Ali, a sub-division of North Waziristan, 232 drone attacks were reported during the last seven years. According to the reports, from different quarters, 2206 persons were killed in these attacks while more than 263 were injured.
Pakistan has, time and again, demanded of the US and NATO authorities to stop the attacks on Pakistani soil saying that these attacks are proving counter-productive, as the graph of civilian casualties in it is high, and are providing reinforcement to militants, while the US holds claims that drone attacks have yielded better results by killing some top Al-Qaida and Taliban operatives. When these claims of the US would be analyzed, all these claims will prove as no top Al-Qaida or Taliban operative was killed in drone attack except Baitullah Mahsud. The US has claimed killing of Aiman Al-Zawahiri, the then second top leader of Al-Qaeda, Hakimullah Mahsud, TTP Chief, Moulvi Faqir, deputy of Baitullah Mahsud and many more top militants, who later on surfaced and proved the claims false.
People across the globe have rejected the drone attacks on Pakistani soil and talked talks on futility and fatality of these attacks. It was brought into light by experts that US drones despite targeting militants, are hitting the local people having nothing to do with militancy. But the rhetoric of the US military and civilian leadership was that the results were achieved by these attacks as hundreds of militants were killed.
The US Academia, Intelligentsia and Civil Society activists have started raising voice against the drone attacks on Pakistani soil and called it violation of not only sovereignty of Pakistan, but also contradictory to the US laws. Even then the US President has announced that the drone attacks would continue on Pakistan’s soil.
Daniel L. Byman, a research fellow in the Brookings Institution, has voiced concern over the civilian killings by the US drones saying that drone strikes may kill “10 or so civilians” for every militant killed, while in contrast, the New America Foundation has estimated that 80 per cent of those killed in the attacks were militants.
The CIA believes that the strikes conducted, since May 2010, have killed over 600 militants and have not caused any civilian fatalities, a claim that experts disputed and have called absurd. Rejecting the claims of CIA on the basis of research, the US Bureau of Investigative Journalism has done, and found that between 391 to 780 civilians were killed out of a total of between 1,658 and 2,597, and that 160 children were reported to be among the dead. The Bureau also revealed that since President Obama took office, at least 50 civilians were killed in follow-up strikes, when the people had gone to help victims. More than 20 civilians have also been attacked in deliberate strikes on funerals and mourners.
Besides experts, United Nations has also expressed concern over the civilian killings by US drones in Pakistan as on June 3, 2009, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) delivered a report which was critical of US tactics saying that the US government has failed to keep the track of civilian casualties. In spite of giving any excuse and accepting that it was a blunder of the US administration, the US representative at UNHRC, argued that the UN investigator for extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, does not have any jurisdiction over the US military actions.
On 27 October 2009 UNHRC investigator, Philip Alston, asked the US to show that whether they were not randomly killing people in violation of international laws through the use of drones on the Afghan border? He criticized the US refusal to respond, to date, to the UN concerns. On June 2, 2010, Alston’s team released a report based on their investigation over drone strikes, and criticized the US for being, “the most prolific user of targeted killings” in the world.
After Pakistan suspended the NATO supply, in wake of Salala Check Post attack by NATO forces, forced the US to vacate Shamsi Airbase, besides the drone attacks which came to a halt, although but this proved very short-lived as after a 55-day lull the US drones started flying in Pakistani skies and resumed their attacks on January 10, 2012, when US drone targeted a house in outskirts of Miranshah in which four persons were killed. During this year 16 attacks by the US drones were reported till May 24 and 114 persons being killed besides 19 others being injured.
Some experts were of the view that this pause of 55 days was a deliberate move of the US to give Taliban and other militants in Pakistan a chance for re-grouping so that they can continue terrorist activities in Pakistan. Though Hakimullah Mahsud led, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), confirmed that militant organizations have agreed to avoid killing innocent people and kidnapping for ransom in Pakistan, but at the same time vowed to continue carrying out suicide attacks and fighting against Pakistan’s security forces, which speaks volumes about their hidden intentions to continue destabilization of Pakistan. These experts are of the view that on one side the US has entered into dialogue with Taliban in Afghanistan while on the other hand it is barring Pakistan from any peace activity with militants, which reveals their hidden agenda. By linking the recent speech of President Obama, about continuity of drone attacks, these experts claim that with these tactics of continuing drone attacks on Pakistani soil the US wants to keep Pakistan tense and under pressure until it take out its forces from death trap of Afghanistan.
Though the dialogue is under progress for reopening of supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan and the US and European countries, which are part of NATO are using pressure tactics on Pakistan. Pakistani Government should take a firm stance over US drone attacks and across the border attacks on Pakistani military installations. Pakistan should also take up the issue of cross border infiltration from Afghanistan as it is not only the main cause of terrorism in Pakistan but also an excuse of the US to indulge in attacking Pakistani soil through drones.
Ishfaqullah Shawl is editor in FRC and can be contacted on [email protected]
Drone attacks and (the) reopening of NATO supplies (supply routes)
Drone attacks on tribal areas, particularly on Waziristan, continued with brief intervals while the US and NATO leadership is insisting Pakistan on the re-opening of supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan via land routes of Pakistan, which were suspended after November 26, 2011 Salala Check Post attack, in which NATO forces killed 24 Pakistani military personnel.
The drone attacks on Pakistani soil –a country known as frontline state in war on terror and a non-NATO ally of the United States – started in 2005 when on May 16, 2005 US drone targeted a house in Toorikhel area of Mir Ali in North Waziristan Agency in which one person was killed, though the US claimed that Al Qaeda leader Haitham al-Yemeni was killed but it was not confirmed. Until the last drone attack of May 24, 2012 in which US drone targeted a mosque in Haso Khell village of Mir Ali, a sub-division of North Waziristan, 232 drone attacks were reported during the last seven years. According to the reports, from different quarters, 2206 persons were killed in these attacks while more than 263 were injured.
Pakistan has, time and again, demanded of the US and NATO authorities to stop the attacks on Pakistani soil saying that these attacks are proving counter-productive, as the graph of civilian casualties in it is high, and are providing reinforcement to militants, while the US holds claims that drone attacks have yielded better results by killing some top Al-Qaida and Taliban operatives. When these claims of the US would be analyzed, all these claims will prove as no top Al-Qaida or Taliban operative was killed in drone attack except Baitullah Mahsud. The US has claimed killing of Aiman Al-Zawahiri, the then second top leader of Al-Qaeda, Hakimullah Mahsud, TTP Chief, Moulvi Faqir, deputy of Baitullah Mahsud and many more top militants, who later on surfaced and proved the claims false.
People across the globe have rejected the drone attacks on Pakistani soil and talked talks on futility and fatality of these attacks. It was brought into light by experts that US drones despite targeting militants, are hitting the local people having nothing to do with militancy. But the rhetoric of the US military and civilian leadership was that the results were achieved by these attacks as hundreds of militants were killed.
The US Academia, Intelligentsia and Civil Society activists have started raising voice against the drone attacks on Pakistani soil and called it violation of not only sovereignty of Pakistan, but also contradictory to the US laws. Even then the US President has announced that the drone attacks would continue on Pakistan’s soil.
Daniel L. Byman, a research fellow in the Brookings Institution, has voiced concern over the civilian killings by the US drones saying that drone strikes may kill “10 or so civilians” for every militant killed, while in contrast, the New America Foundation has estimated that 80 per cent of those killed in the attacks were militants.
The CIA believes that the strikes conducted, since May 2010, have killed over 600 militants and have not caused any civilian fatalities, a claim that experts disputed and have called absurd. Rejecting the claims of CIA on the basis of research, the US Bureau of Investigative Journalism has done, and found that between 391 to 780 civilians were killed out of a total of between 1,658 and 2,597, and that 160 children were reported to be among the dead. The Bureau also revealed that since President Obama took office, at least 50 civilians were killed in follow-up strikes, when the people had gone to help victims. More than 20 civilians have also been attacked in deliberate strikes on funerals and mourners.
Besides experts, United Nations has also expressed concern over the civilian killings by US drones in Pakistan as on June 3, 2009, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) delivered a report which was critical of US tactics saying that the US government has failed to keep the track of civilian casualties. In spite of giving any excuse and accepting that it was a blunder of the US administration, the US representative at UNHRC, argued that the UN investigator for extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, does not have any jurisdiction over the US military actions.
On 27 October 2009 UNHRC investigator, Philip Alston, asked the US to show that whether they were not randomly killing people in violation of international laws through the use of drones on the Afghan border? He criticized the US refusal to respond, to date, to the UN concerns. On June 2, 2010, Alston’s team released a report based on their investigation over drone strikes, and criticized the US for being, “the most prolific user of targeted killings” in the world.
After Pakistan suspended the NATO supply, in wake of Salala Check Post attack by NATO forces, forced the US to vacate Shamsi Airbase, besides the drone attacks which came to a halt, although but this proved very short-lived as after a 55-day lull the US drones started flying in Pakistani skies and resumed their attacks on January 10, 2012, when US drone targeted a house in outskirts of Miranshah in which four persons were killed. During this year 16 attacks by the US drones were reported till May 24 and 114 persons being killed besides 19 others being injured.
Some experts were of the view that this pause of 55 days was a deliberate move of the US to give Taliban and other militants in Pakistan a chance for re-grouping so that they can continue terrorist activities in Pakistan. Though Hakimullah Mahsud led, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), confirmed that militant organizations have agreed to avoid killing innocent people and kidnapping for ransom in Pakistan, but at the same time vowed to continue carrying out suicide attacks and fighting against Pakistan’s security forces, which speaks volumes about their hidden intentions to continue destabilization of Pakistan. These experts are of the view that on one side the US has entered into dialogue with Taliban in Afghanistan while on the other hand it is barring Pakistan from any peace activity with militants, which reveals their hidden agenda. By linking the recent speech of President Obama, about continuity of drone attacks, these experts claim that with these tactics of continuing drone attacks on Pakistani soil the US wants to keep Pakistan tense and under pressure until it take out its forces from death trap of Afghanistan.
Though the dialogue is under progress for reopening of supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan and the US and European countries, which are part of NATO are using pressure tactics on Pakistan. Pakistani Government should take a firm stance over US drone attacks and across the border attacks on Pakistani military installations. Pakistan should also take up the issue of cross border infiltration from Afghanistan as it is not only the main cause of terrorism in Pakistan but also an excuse of the US to indulge in attacking Pakistani soil through drones.
Ishfaqullah Shawl is editor in FRC and can be contacted on [email protected]