Datta Khel is a stronghold of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a Taliban ‘commander’ who sends fighters across the border to fight NATO troops in Afghanistan. Unlike the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Hafiz Gul Bahadur has a secret deal with Islamabad not to attack Pakistani Security Forces (SFs) and, in return, has freedom to operate from Pakistan.
Earlier, on July 1, 2012, eight terrorists were killed in a US drone attack on a compound in the Kund Ghar area of the Shawal tehsil, 50 kilometres southwest of Miranshah, the NWA headquarters. The attack also killed cadres loyal to Gul Bahadur, and included some foreign militants belonging to the Turkmenistan Islamic Movement(TIM).With Pakistan continuing to provide support and safe haven to a range of Islamic terrorist organizations, including a number of factions operating against International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) troops in Afghanistan, the US opted for drone operations way back in 2004, with the first such attack launched on June 18, 2004, at Wana, the regional headquarters of the South Waziristan Agency (SWA).
The South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database has, thus far, recorded 244 such attacks, in which at least 2,303 persons have been killed (all data till July 15, 2012). Here's a summary of the US drone attacks in Pakistan from 2004-2012:
Years-Incidents-Killed
2004-1-5
2005-1-1
2006-0-0
2007-1-20
2008-19- 156
2009- 46- 536
2010- 90- 831
2011- 59- 548
2012- 28- 312
Total 245- 2409
This data was accumulated up to July 15, 2012. In the 2,409 killed via US drone attack, a number of them were top terrorists, including:
- June 4, 2012: Abu Yahya al-Libi, the ‘second-in-command’ of the al Qaeda, killed in Hisokhel, in the east of Miranshah. Interestingly, the White House spokesman Jay Carney on June 6, 2012, stated that “our Government has been able to confirm al-Libi’s death,” while two al Qaeda-linked websites, Ansar and Alfidaa, on June 10, 2012, claimed that Libi was alive. Another 14 terrorists were killed in the attack.
- February 9, 2012: Badr Mansoor, a Pakistani citizen who served as al Qaeda's Pakistan chapter ‘commander’ and a key link to the Taliban and Pakistani jihadi groups, was killed near Miranshah.
- October 13, 2011: Jan Baz Zadran, top aide to the Haqqani Network leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, was killed in a US drone attack on a militant outpost on a hill in Zeba Mountain, close to the Afghan border in SWA.
- September 11, 2011: Abu Hafs al Shahri, a senior al Qaeda leader who served as the ‘operations chief for Pakistan’, was killed in the Hisokhel village of NWA.
- August 22, 2011: Atiyah Abd al Rahman, a senior al Qaeda leader who served as Osama bin Laden's chief of staff and a top ‘operational commander’, was killed in Mirkhunkhel area near Mir Ali in NWA.
- June 11, 2011: Ilyas Kashmiri, the leader of al Qaeda's Lashkar al Zil and
the ‘operational commander’ of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) was killed in a US drone strike in Wana Bazaar area of SWA. He was a member of al Qaeda's external operations council.
- February 14, 2010: Abdul Haq al Turkistani, the "overall leader" of the East Turkistan Islamic Party (ETIP), was killed in the Mir Ali town of NWA.
- September 14, 2009: Najmiddin Jalolov, the leader of the Jama'at al-Jihad al-Islami, a breakaway faction of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and affiliated with al Qaeda operations in Central Asia and Russia, was killed in the Mir Ali area of NWA.
- August 27, 2009: Tahir Yuldashev, the founder of the IMU, was killed in the Kaniguram area in Laddha, SWA.
- August 5, 2009: Baitullah Mehsud, the chief of the TTP, was killed in a drone attack on his father-in-law’s house in Zangara village of the Laddha sub-division, SWA.
- January 1, 2009: Osama al Kini aka Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam, al Qaeda's operations chief for Pakistan, who was also wanted for the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, was killed in the Karikot area of Wana, SWA.
- November 19, 2008: Abdullah Azzam al Saudi, a teacher and mentor of Osama bin Laden, who also liaised between al Qaeda and TTP, was killed in SWA.
- October 31, 2008: Abu Jihad al Masri, the leader of the Egyptian Islamic Group and the chief of al Qaeda's intelligence shura, was killed in Wana, SWA. Al Masri also directed al Qaeda's external operations in Egypt.
- September 8, 2008: Abu Haris, the al Qaeda chief in Pakistan, died of injuries in a drone attack in Miranshah, NWA.
- July 28, 2008: Abu Khabab al Masri, the chief of al Qaeda's weapons of mass destruction program and a ‘master bomb maker’, was killed in a compound in SWA near the Afghan border.
continue to serve as sanctuary for the top leadership of al Qaeda and Afghan Taliban. Indeed, John Brennan, the US Deputy National Security Advisor, referred to al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri’s presence in FATA. Brennan stated, on April 30, 2012, "We believe he (Zawahiri) is in that region of the world, as well as other al-Qaeda leaders that continue to borough into areas of... the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. We're not going to relent until they're brought to justice one way or the other."
No, Pakistan, definitely, is not a US Ally
In The War On Terror. Even though there is tremendous success with the drone strikes, their usage has come under severe criticism from both within and outside Pakistan. Pakistan has, of course, vehemently opposed the attacks, arguing that they are unlawful, against international law and a violation of sovereignty. On April 1, 2012, Gilani argued that US drone attacks violated Pakistani sovereignty and created a “negative impact”, giving rise to deep misgivings between the Pakistani people and the US.
Elements within the ‘international community’ have also criticized the drone campaigns on the grounds that they have claimed many innocent lives. According to a report compiled by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ), published on February 6, 2012, 260 strikes by Predator and Reaper drones have been recorded since President Barack Obama took office in 2009, in which between 282 and 535 civilians, respectively, including over 60 children, had been ‘credibly reported’ killed. American officials claimed that the number cited by BIJ was “too high”, though they acknowledged that “at least several dozen civilians” had lost their lives “inadvertently” in strikes aimed at militant suspects. They questioned the accuracy of the higher claims, alleging that accounts might be concocted by militants or falsely confirmed by residents who feared extremist retaliation.
President Obama, on January 30, 2012, had stated that US drone attacks in Pakistan had “not caused a huge number of civilian casualties.”
The impact of the drone attacks within Pakistan has, however, have been politically devastating. The Washington-based PEW Global Survey claims that about 74 per cent of Pakistanis now consider the US an enemy, up from 69 percent last year [2011] and 64 percent three years ago. Not surprising, the PEW survey also reported that Pakistanis have low regard for Barack Obama and civilian casualties in drone attacks are one of the major reasons for this.
The US, nevertheless, has justified the use of drones on grounds of necessity. Terming the drone attacks on Pakistani
soil as ‘self defence’, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta on June 6, 2012, thus noted, "We have made it very clear to Pakistani leaders that we will continue to defend ourselves... This is about our sovereignty as well. The leadership of those that were involved in planning (the 9/11) attacks located (themselves) in Pakistan".Not long ago, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended Washington's use of drone strikes by stating, "We will always maintain our right to use force against groups such as al Qaeda that have attacked us and still threaten us with imminent attack. In doing so, we will comply with the applicable law, including the laws of war, and go to extraordinary lengths to ensure precision and avoid the loss of innocent life."
It is a bit significant that the July 6, 2012, drone strikes took place just two days after the first NATO truck entered Afghanistan through Pakistan after a break of more than seven months, reaffirming the US intent to continue with drone attacks, ignoring Pakistani objections and resentment over the issue. Discontinuation of the drone strikes was a major precondition that Pakistan required to reopen the NATO supply routes. On July 3, 2012, Pakistan agreed to reopen its border to NATO supply convoys into Afghanistan after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apologized for the loss of life in NATO’s aerial attack on the Salala border check-post in FATA on November 26, 2011, which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
John Brennan, President Barack Obama’s Counterterrorism Adviser, stressed that targeted drone strikes in other countries were legal, and stated on April 30, 2012, “as a matter of international law, the United States is in an armed conflict with al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces, in response to the 9/11 attacks, and we may also use force consistent with our inherent right of national self-defence.” President Barack Obama, moreover, had ordered a ‘sharp increase’ in drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas in recent months.
Interestingly, Bloomberg quoted two US officials as disclosing on June 9, 2012 that Obama’s decision to increase drone attacks reflected the “mounting US frustration with Pakistan over a growing list of disputes”.
America remains adamant on its policy to continue covert drone operations in terrorist safe havens on Pakistani soil, regardless of the heavy criticism. To address the civilian casualties concern, the US is focusing on HUMINT and electronic intelligence to improve targeting and precision of drone attacks. Still, is this the real issue? Pakistan’s perverse support of terrorist groups operating inside its borders is the greatest justification for America to continue, even step up, its drone attacks inside Pakistan. As Pakistan ignites and constantly whips up domestic opinion against US drone operations, we will continue to ignore them.
Robert Morton, Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes the online spy series "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean." Got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the Secure Contact Form
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