Drone War

Well since I cannot get my post up like I want to I will have to do it the hard way. More to come.

Something you may not know

The whole Taliban insurgency just is not a bunch of Islamic hardliners bent on Sharia law world wide. There is also another group that has a huge stake in an unstable Afghanistan and that is the drug dealers. Afghanistan is the worlds largest supplier of heroin and opium beating out Asia's Golden Triangle are. I was reminded of this today reading the ISAF's website like I do on a daily basis and came across this article. The drug dealers are just as deadly as the regular insurgents and often times they cooperate as the same routes that can take the drugs out of the country are used to bring weapons and fighters in.

Busy Week

Six Drone Attacks this week including two today for a reported 38 Taliban and associated group deaths. Most of these attacks have occured in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan an area controlled by the Haqqanis. There were however two attacks in S. Waziristan that hit a commander for Mullah Wazir's group around Azam Warsak. He was important enough to try to hit in his car then when that did not work we hit his offices and killed him there.

An important one I missed was the killing of a German national on Bekkay Harrach on 9/21. This is important because he had made several videos to recruit German muslims and also calling for the usual... overthrow of the German government, implemention of Sharia etc...

It is also interesting to note that the Haqqanis have been getting hit hard as they try to attack U.S. and Afghan combat outposts and that we are also hitting their rear areas in Pakistan. The tribe that the Haqqanis belong to is not a big one and the constant drain of manpower may soon tell on their operations. This week alone over 50 Haqqani network fighters have been killed in attacks on combat outposts in addition to the over 20 in their base areas. However they keep coming.

The pounding continues

Another drone strike this time in S. Waziristan in Mullah Nazir's territory. Nazir is a good Taliban and has actually fought against the Uzbeks in his area. However Nazir wages the jihad in Afghanistan and is close with Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden.

This makes 15 strikes this month and 9 in the last nine days. Today's strike killed 6 and wounded 5 with an expenditure of 3 missiles.

I do not know if the strikes are being launched on actionable intelligence or are just cruising looking for targets of interest. Killing four guys on a motorcycle seem somewhat pointless except it is taking 4 trigger pullers out of the game. I have to believe now that the Taliban and AQ leadership is getting a little leary of moving openly much. This is not such a bad thing if we can keep their leadership pinned down. This is exactly what is happening to our troops in Afghanistan. In out effort to defend population centers we have surrendered the high ground to the Taliban and their allies. In Pakistan currently we hold the high ground.

Drone Strike 9/20/2010

Dirazindi villiage, N. Waziristan Predator or Reaper drones attacked and killed four Taliban. We fired 4 missiles at a cost of $232,000 to kill four guys unless this was Osama bin Laden and not four foot soldiers it hardly seems worth the effort on this one.

As we continue to pound the Haqqani network in both Afghanistan and its home in Pakistan it seems to me we think we can either pound them into negotiating or hope to degrade them a great deal before we pull out.

Man of Unknown Religion

I just got home to catch this but Sami Samir Hassoun a Lebanese citizen living in Chicago. Decided he did not like things in Chicago or how things were going in other parts of the world decided to try to set off an explosive device by Wrigley field and to also poison the cities water supply.

Let me get this straight a Muslim not liking the way he perceives other Muslims being treated around the world attempts an act of terrorism and the AP blows it off like it is nothing. While it appears the FBI was all over this guy it is high time out media starts calling these things what they really are attempted acts of terrorism by MUSLIMS. This was not some skin head or environmental attack but yet another lone wolf. It is also time that the FBI consider people not in organized groups as terrorists. The FBI is catching up but is still behind in how Islamic terrorism works firstly they are afraid to call a spade a spade and man up and call it is, secondly they have to get in their heads that one does not need to be a member of a terrorist group to commit acts of terrorism. Al Qaeda leadership and Awaliki have called for lone Muslims to attack the infidel wherever and however they can. WAKE UP to what is really going on.

This week in the Drone War

Today marks the seventh drone attack inside of North Waziristan this week. These attacks have killed 44 Taliban and or foreign fighters. The attacks have been centered around Miranshah and Datta Khel North Waziristan an area controlled by the Haqqani network. The Pakistan military is hesistant to go into N. Waziristan because every time it does they lose a lot of troops and the Haqqanis are what they consider the good Taliban because they do not launch attacks in Pakistan. They are free to wage jihad in Afghanistan or India as long as they do not attack Pakistani targets they are not seen as a threat and are considered if you will strategic reserve.