Pakistan: U.S. must halt drone attacks

Source: CNN

DAVOS, Switzerland (CNN) -- Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has called on the United States to halt its drone attacks against al Qaeda and Taliban fighters on Pakistani soil and warned that the missile strikes were fueling militarism in the country's troubled tribal border region.

At least 17 people were killed in two drone strikes near the Afghan border on Friday, according to the Pakistani government, in the first attacks authorized since U.S. President Barack Obama took office last week.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has remained in the post despite the change of government, said Tuesday that Pakistan was aware of U.S. strikes against militants within its territory -- but Gilani strenuously denied that any agreement existed between Islamabad and Washington.

"I want to put on record that we do not have any agreement between the government of the United States and the government of Pakistan," Gilani told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an interview at the World Economic Forum.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/01/28/davos.pakistan.pm/?iref=mpstoryview

We cannot allow Pakistan's giving of comfort to our enemies to cause us to give comfort to our enemies by extension. We are respecting Pakistan's sovereignty by holding the Pakistan government responsible for the actions of their people and what occurs in their territory. Pakistan cannot claim to be unable to control the tribes and be sovereign at the same time. This is a contradiction of terms. It is not the US that disrespects the sovereignty of Pakistan by attacking those who have allied with our enemies. It is the tribes that refuse to unite with the Pakistan Government and respect its rule of law that disrespects and deprives Pakistan of sovereignty. Pakistan cannot truthfully claim to be sovereign until the have suppressed the rebellion and insurrection of the boarder tribes. Until then Pakistan's sovereignty is merely symbolic with no functional existence in reality.

more terrorists than we are killing.

Bombs are indiscriminate.

Not wise to continue - unless we wish to breed more terrorists in the NUCLEAR STATE of Pakistan. :scared: :nuke:

My advice, back away slowly with our dignity ... but stop the unilateral bombings.

The last I heard they won't even allow us to help them stabilize their government. With Bush I don't blame them on that. But they have a new opportunity with Obama. Yes he will go after Al Qaida. But Obama would rather build than destroy. Pakistan is far better off working with us than Al Qaida. We can secure the future of Pakistan that Al Qaida is trying to destroy. Ultimately Pakistan must decide who rules the country. The government or the tribal leaders.

Also at one point in time the US was exactly 20 second away from launching an all out nuclear strike against the USSR. Due to some white knuckled diplomacy. We were able to find the glitch that was causing our computers to falsely indicate that Russia was preparing to launch on us. When our launch clock was stopped. There was 20 second left on it. So "nuclear nation" doesn't scare me that easily. We defeated a far greater nuclear nation than Pakistan. We did it without firing a single shot or dropping a single bomb on them (officially anyway). If we can do this with Pakistan. That's great! But just like with the USSR. We must keep all options on the table with Pakistan. Including a nuclear response. Welcome to mutually assured destruction my friend. We don't even have to launch a single missle to accomplish that. A simple in place detonation of our entire nuclear arsenal will end all life on earth. Not even bacteria will survive. We are the original suicidal Mo Fo's with nuclear bombs. No America = No Earth.

the stories seem to be swept far under the carpet as well as stories about Pakistani parents demanding to see their boys they sent off to madrasses. Little Johnny isn't writing home and the parents want answers.... They haven't seen or heard from their children and are getting stonewalled by the clerics running the schools.
but, seems a
moot point now since ALL the schools are being blown up for some odd reason only known to a chosen few.

your advice of stopping the unilateral bombings overlooks the kamakazai market strikes performed by the suicide bomber kids.

When we can rely on Pakistan to act on valid intelligence in the 'Wild West' that harbors terrorists in the tribal societies that exist there, then we can stop using Drones.

Unfortunately, the history of this area is that it is governed by no one, and currently the Taleban uses it as a safe haven. Clean it up - so we don't have to.

The government doesn't want to destabilize itself by attacking its own citizens. (Or so I've read. I don't claim to be an expert on Pakistan.)

In fact, they consider themselves autonomous and independent of Islamabad. They do have their own form of government and they are rounding up "authorities" belonging to the govt. seated in Islamabad. I wonder what the sentences handed out by the sharia courts will be ?

are active duty Pakistani military.

Pakistan and the ISI have created, funded, trained and armed these people.

There is no way any attacks on Pakistan should stop.

:nuke:

Israel,France......Iran. All potential threats to Pakistans nuke base.
Pakistan wanted NUKES, so, welcome to the club.

only Pakistan is a terrorist state which uses terror as an official tool from top to bottom.

Pakistan needs to be balkanized so it ceases to be a threat in the future.

Let's not morph into Israel. We don't unilaterally attack sovereign nations ... anymore? :grr:

US pays $40,000 after 15 Afghans die in raid

JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer



January 27, 2009 11:46 AM

TAGAB VALLEY, Afghanistan (AP) - U.S. commanders on Tuesday traveled to a poor Afghan village and distributed $40,000 to relatives of 15 people killed in a U.S. raid, including a known militant commander. The Americans also apologized for any civilians killed in the operation.

The issue of civilian deaths is increasingly sensitive in Afghanistan, with President Hamid Karzai accusing the U.S. of killing civilians in three separate cases over the last month. Karzai has repeatedly warned the U.S. and NATO to guard against killing civilians, saying such deaths undermine his government and the international mission.

http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=WORLD&ID=565515994786039969