Revenge Of The Drones

Talk about unintended consequences! The hit by al Qaeda (probably with some ISI assistance) on Great Satan's spy lair in Afghanistan is going to ramp up those wild, wacking 'Drones Gone Wild!" in Land of the Pure ops - and beyond.

"Beginning the day after the attack on a C.I.A. base in Khost, Afghanistan, the agency has carried out 11 strikes that have killed about 90 people suspected of being militants, according to Pakistani news reports, which make almost no mention of civilian casualties. The assault has included strikes on a mud fortress in North Waziristan on Jan. 6 that killed 17 people and a volley of missiles on a compound in South Waziristan last Sunday that killed at least 20."

"Today, officials deny that vengeance is driving the increased attacks, though one called the drone strikes “the purest form of self-defense.”

"Officials point to other factors. For one, Pakistan recently dropped restrictions on the drone program it had requested last fall to accompany a ground offensive against militants in South Waziristan. And tips on the whereabouts of extremists ebb and flow unpredictably.

"A C.I.A. spokesman, Paul Gimigliano, declined to comment on the drone strikes. But he said, “The agency’s counterterrorism operations — lawful, aggressive, precise and effective — continue without pause.”


"Critics have contended that collateral civilian deaths are too high a price to pay. Pakistani officials have periodically denounced the strikes as a violation of their nation’s sovereignty, even as they have provided a launching base for the drones.

"The increase in drone attacks has caused panic among rank-and-file militants, particularly in North Waziristan, where some now avoid using private vehicles, according to Pakistani intelligence and security officials.

"Fewer foreign extremists are now in Miram Shah, North Waziristan’s capital, which was previously awash with them, said local tribesmen and security officials.

Well, that's the rub.

In wartime, Great Satan is kinda crazy and unpredictable.

A wonderful lesson for other enemies, state or non state, to carefully consider.