Obama victory infuriates Pakistani drone victims

farhan_9909

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ISLAMABAD: The roars celebrating the re-election of US President Barack Obama on television give Mohammad Rehman Khan a searing headache, as years of grief and anger come rushing back.

The 28-year-old Pakistani accuses the president of robbing him of his father, three brothers and a nephew, all killed in a US drone attack a month after Obama first took office.

"The same person who attacked my home has gotten re-elected," he told Reuters in the capital, Islamabad, where he fled after the attack on his village in South Waziristan, one of several tribal areas near the Afghan border.

"Since yesterday, the pressure on my brain has increased. I remember all of the pain again."

In his re-election campaign, Obama gave no indication he would halt or alter the drone programme, which he embraced in his first term to kill al Qaeda and Taliban militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan without risking American lives.

"Whenever he has a chance, Obama will bite Muslims like a snake. Look at how many people he has killed with drone attacks," said Haji Abdul Jabar, whose 23-year-old son was killed in such a bombing.

Analysts say anger over the unmanned aircraft may have helped the Taliban gain recruits, complicating efforts to stabilise the unruly border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. That could also hinder Obama's plan to withdraw US trooAfghanistan in 2014.ps from

Obama authorised nearly 300 drone strikes in Pakistan during his first four years in office, more than six times the number during the administration of George W Bush, according to the New America Foundation policy institute.

Since 2004, a total of 337 US drone strikes in Pakistan have killed between 1,908 and 3,225 people.

The institute estimates around 15 percent of those killed were non-militants, although that percentage has declined sharply to around 1-2 percent this year.

Washington says drone strikes are very accurate and cause minimal civilian deaths.

The Pakistani government says tens of thousands of Pakistanis have been killed in the fight against the Taliban insurgency.

Many were civilians caught in suicide bombings. Others were killed by the Pakistani army.

Hard to secure data on drone attacks

Getting accurate data on casualties and the effects of drones is extremely difficult since the government allows few foreigners into the tribal areas and the Taliban often seal off the sites of strikes.

While the aerial campaign has weakened al Qaeda, its ally, the Pakistani Taliban, remains a potent force despite a series of Pakistan army offensives against its strongholds in the northwest.

"We are amazed that Obama has been re-elected. But for us there is no difference between Obama and Romney; both are enemies. And we will keep up our jihad and fight alongside our Afghan brothers to get the Americans out of Afghanistan," said Pakistan Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan.

On Thursday, a suicide bomber rammed the gates of the Sachal Rangers Headquarters in Karachi, killing at least one official and wounding more than a dozen people.

Pakistanis were largely indifferent in the run-up to Tuesday's election, expecting little change to the drone attacks regardless of whether Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney won.

"Any American, whether Obama or Mitt Romney, is cruel," said Warshameen Jaan Haji, whose neighbourhood was struck by a drone last week, told Reuters on the eve of the election.

"I lost my wife in the drone attack and my children are injured. Whatever happens, it will be bad for Muslims."

For Khan, the February 2009 drone attack on his home left him as the main provider for 13 surviving family members, forcing him to move to Islamabad and work with a real estate company.

"When the Sandy hurricane came, I thought that Allah would wipe away America," he said. "America just wants to take over the world."

Obama victory infuriates Pakistani drone victims – The Express Tribune
 

Daredevil

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The placard by the people should be "Drones Fly, Terrorists die". But there is no doubt that there is collateral damage and innocent people also get killed. That's the way of life.
 

Blackwater

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y these pakis looks kale pele??

i thought they are breed of arabs and turks:taunt1::taunt1:
 

farhan_9909

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The placard by the people should be "Drones Fly, Terrorists die". But there is no doubt that there is collateral damage and innocent people also get killed. That's the way of life.
Collateral damage?i doubt even 1-2% is nt true..beacuse these days only innocents are killed




The institute estimates around 15 percent of those killed were non-militants, although that percentage has declined sharply to around 1-2 percent this year.
 

mikhail

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Collateral damage?i doubt even 1-2% is nt true..beacuse these days only innocents are killed
look mate Americans are not murderers,they only kill terrorists in those drone attacks.yeah i admit that there are some collateral damage involved but that's the sad part of any war.btw most of these victims are actually linked to terrorist no matter how you and your people support them by saying they are innocnets!
 

W.G.Ewald

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Terrorists embed themselves among innocent people. That is one of the definitions of being a terrorist.
 

drkrn

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The placard by the people should be "Drones Fly, Terrorists die". But there is no doubt that there is collateral damage and innocent people also get killed. That's the way of life.
never be insensitive for others pain.
though the intention of drone strikes is good with promising results many civilians children,women too were dying who have nothing to do with this war

if pakistani govt has not authorized these strikes they will become unilateral declaration of war, and i feel sorry for people of pakistan for such a weak govt
 

BangersAndMash

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Pakis crying wolf as usual. There would be no drone attacks if pakistan was not the world's terrorist factory.
 

spikey360

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What? They expect Romney to have been any better on this front? If anything, Romney would have puts boots on the ground perhaps. Then drones wouldn't need to fly, but people would die.
Pakistanis should be grateful that America, the hothead that it is and with the military clout it has, has not yet snatched their nuclear warheads and not invaded it already.
 

drkrn

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It would be so refreshing to see childish posters like this removed.
i really don't understand one thing about american policies.

" if one american dies - they call opponents terrorists
every day many civilians are dying and some here are calling civilians as terrorists by definition, not even using words like collateral damage."

double standars
 

rock127

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ISLAMABAD: The roars celebrating the re-election of US President Barack Obama on television give Mohammad Rehman Khan a searing headache, as years of grief and anger come rushing back.

""When the Sandy hurricane came, I thought that Allah would wipe away America," he said. America just wants to take over the world."

Obama victory infuriates Pakistani drone victims – The Express Tribune

Here starts the PAKI drama of being a victim... when their own people are killed they are victims and CRY for sympathy BUT when the terrorist among the same people kills others in cold blood massacares its nothing but Kaffirs.

This is the reason no one is intrested in showing any mercy on Pakis and drones would continue irrespective of Pakis want or not.

Actually Allah is punishing Pakis for their terrorism today.
 

farhan_9909

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wait six months more

Imran khan being PM=last day of pak relations with USA

he will shot down the drone

now they declare war or whatever.we dnt care
 

Daredevil

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never be insensitive for others pain.
though the intention of drone strikes is good with promising results many civilians children,women too were dying who have nothing to do with this war

if pakistani govt has not authorized these strikes they will become unilateral declaration of war, and i feel sorry for people of pakistan for such a weak govt
Drone attacks are happening with permission of Pakistan government, please read news.

The collateral damage caused by drones is negligible in front of the clean up operation by Pakistani Army where they indiscriminately pound the villages with tanks, helicopters and fighter jets. The number of 'internally displaced persons' as a result of Pakistani Army operations run into millions without actually capturing or killing any militants. In comparison drones are very good at specifically targeting and killin Militants with collateral damage of very few people and without any displacement of people. Now, you tell me which is better?.

Also read articles of Farhat Taj, a pushtun woman journalist who extensively reports from the ground level. She says the people in NWFP and FATA are very happy with drone attacks because it kills Militants and give them freedom. All this drones are bad is a propaganda of Pakistani Army,
 

farhan_9909

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Drone attacks are happening with permission of Pakistan government, please read news.

The collateral damage caused by drones is negligible in front of the clean up operation by Pakistani Army where they indiscriminately pound the villages with tanks, helicopters and fighter jets. The number of 'internally displaced persons' as a result of Pakistani Army operations run into millions without actually capturing or killing any militants. In comparison drones are very good at specifically targeting and killin Militants with collateral damage of very few people and without any displacement of people. Now, you tell me which is better?.

Also read articles of Farhat Taj, a pushtun woman journalist who extensively reports from the ground level. She says the people in NWFP and FATA are very happy with drone attacks because it kills Militants and give them freedom. All this drones are bad is a propaganda of Pakistani Army,
Lol i am from NWFP.basically from miranshah bt living in bannu(only an hour drive)..

so i can give you first hand info.

nt a single person is happy with the drone attack

and read the news plzz again

i am sure you ignored the first post and reading the news.this is the reason you posted so
 

Daredevil

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Lol i am from NWFP.basically from miranshah bt living in bannu(only an hour drive)..

so i can give you first hand info.

nt a single person is happy with the drone attack

and read the news plzz again

i am sure you ignored the first post and reading the news.this is the reason you posted so
Any time of day, I will take the news of Farhat Taj (an acclaimed journalist) seriously than your word. Internet is filled with people like you who cannot see the reality.

Analysis: Drone attacks: challenging some fabrications —Farhat Taj

The people of Waziristan are suffering a brutal kind of occupation under the Taliban and al Qaeda. Therefore, they welcome the drone attacks

There is a deep abyss between the perceptions of the people of Waziristan, the most drone-hit area and the wider Pakistani society on the other side of the River Indus. For the latter, the US drone attacks on Waziristan are a violation of Pakistani's sovereignty. Politicians, religious leaders, media analysts and anchorpersons express sensational clamour over the supposed 'civilian casualties' in the drone attacks. I have been discussing the issue of drone attacks with hundreds of people of Waziristan. They see the US drone attacks as their liberators from the clutches of the terrorists into which, they say, their state has wilfully thrown them. The purpose of today's column is, one, to challenge the Pakistani and US media reports about the civilian casualties in the drone attacks and, two, to express the view of the people of Waziristan, who are equally terrified by the Taliban and the intelligence agencies of Pakistan. I personally met these people in the Pakhtunkhwa province, where they live as internally displaced persons (IDPs), and in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

I would challenge both the US and Pakistani media to provide verifiable evidence of civilian 'casualties' because of drone attacks on Waziristan, i.e. names of the people killed, names of their villages, dates and locations of the strikes and, above all, the methodology of the information that they collected. If they can't meet the challenge, I would request them to stop throwing around fabricated figures of 'civilian casualties' that confuse people around the world and provide propaganda material to the pro-Taliban and al Qaeda forces in the politics and media of Pakistan.

I pose that challenge because no one is in a position to give a correct estimate of how many individuals have been killed so far in drone attacks. On the basis of American media estimates, 600 to 700 'civilian population' have been killed. The Pakistani government, pro-Taliban political parties like Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam, Tehrik-e-Insaf, and the media are quoting the same figure. Neither the government of Pakistan nor the media have any access to the area and no system is in place to arrive at precise estimates. The Pakistani government and media take the figure appearing in the American media as an admission by the American government. The US media too do not have access to the area. Moreover, the area is simply not accessible for any kind of independent journalistic or scholarly work on drone attacks. The Taliban simply kill anyone doing so.

The reason why these estimates about civilian 'casualties' in the US and Pakistani media are wrong is that after every attack the terrorists cordon off the area and no one, including the local villagers, is allowed to come even near the targeted place. The militants themselves collect the bodies, burry the dead and then issue the statement that all of them were innocent civilians. This has been part of their propaganda to provide excuses to the pro-Taliban and al Qaeda media persons and political forces in Pakistan to generate public sympathies for the terrorists. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or other militants have never admitted to the killing of any important figure of al Qaeda or the TTP. One exception is the killing of Baitullah Mehsud that the TTP reluctantly admitted several days after his death. According to the people of Waziristan, the only civilians who have been killed so far in the drone attacks are women or children of the militants in whose houses/compounds they hold meetings. But that, too, used to happen in the past. Now they don't hold meetings at places where women and children of the al Qaeda and TTP militants reside. Moreover, in this case too no one is in a position to give even an approximate number of the women and children of the terrorists killed in drone attacks.

The people of Waziristan are suffering a brutal kind of occupation under the Taliban and al Qaeda. It is in this context that they would welcome anyone, Americans, Israelis, Indians or even the devil, to rid them of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Therefore, they welcome the drone attacks. Secondly, the people feel comfortable with the drones because of their precision and targeted strikes. People usually appreciate drone attacks when they compare it with the Pakistan Army's attacks, which always result in collateral damage. Especially the people of Waziristan have been terrified by the use of long-range artillery and air strikes of the Pakistan Army and Air Force. People complain that not a single TTP or al Qaeda member has been killed so far by the Pakistan Army, whereas a lot of collateral damage has taken place. Thousands of houses have been destroyed and hundreds of innocent civilians have been killed by the Pakistan Army. On the other hand, drone attacks have never targeted the civilian population except, they informed, in one case when the funeral procession of Khwazh Wali, a TTP commander, was hit. In that attack too, many TTP militants were killed including Bilal (the TTP commander of Zangara area) and two Arab members of al Qaeda. But some civilians were also killed. After the attack people got the excuse of not attending the funeral of slain TTP militants or offering them food, which they used to do out of compulsion in order to put themselves in the TTP's good books. "It (this drone attack) was a blessing in disguise," several people commented.

I have heard people particularly appreciating the precision of drone strikes. People say that when a drone would hover over the skies, they wouldn't be disturbed and would carry on their usual business because they would be sure that it does not target the civilians, but the same people would run for shelter when a Pakistani jet would appear in the skies because of its indiscriminate firing. They say that even in the same compound only the exact room — where a high value target (HVT) is present — is targeted. Thus others in the same compound are spared. The people of Waziristan have been complaining why the drones are only restricted to targeting the Arabs. They want the drones to attack the TTP leadership, the Uzbek/Tajik/Turkmen, Punjabi and Pakhtun Taliban. I have heard even religious people of Waziristan cursing the jihad and welcoming even Indian or Israeli support to help them get rid of the TTP and foreign militants. The TTP and foreign militants had made them hostages and occupied their houses by force. The Taliban have publicly killed even the religious scholars in Waziristan.

I have yet to come across a non-TTP resident of Waziristan who supports the Taliban or al Qaeda. Till recently they were terrified by the TTP to the extent that they would not open their mouth to oppose them. But now, having been displaced and out of their reach, some of them speak against them openly and many more than before in private conversations. They express their fear of the intelligence agencies of Pakistan whenever speaking against the Taliban. They see the two as two sides of the same coin.

What we read and hear in the print and electronic media of Pakistan about drone attacks as a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty or resulting in killing innocent civilians is not true so far as the people of Waziristan are concerned. According to them, al Qaeda and the TTP are dead scared of drone attacks and their leadership spends sleepless nights. This is a cause of pleasure for the tormented people of Waziristan.

Moreover, al Qaeda and the Taliban have done everything to stop the drone attacks by killing hundreds of innocent civilians on the pretext of their being American spies. They thought that by overwhelming the innocent people of Waziristan with terror tactics they would deter any potential informer, but they have failed. On many occasions the Taliban and al Qaeda have killed the alleged US spies in front of crowds of hundreds, even thousands of tribesmen. Interestingly, no one in Pakistan has raised objection to killings of the people of Waziristan on charges of spying for the US. This, the people of Waziristan informed, is a source of torture for them that their fellow Pakistanis condemn the killing of the terrorists but fall into deadly silence over the routine murders of tribesmen accused of spying for the US by the terrorists occupying their land.

The writer is a research fellow at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Research, University of Oslo and a member of Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy. She can be reached at [email protected]

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
 

drkrn

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Drone attacks are happening with permission of Pakistan government, please read news.

The collateral damage caused by drones is negligible in front of the clean up operation by Pakistani Army where they indiscriminately pound the villages with tanks, helicopters and fighter jets. The number of 'internally displaced persons' as a result of Pakistani Army operations run into millions without actually capturing or killing any militants. In comparison drones are very good at specifically targeting and killin Militants with collateral damage of very few people and without any displacement of people. Now, you tell me which is better?.

Also read articles of Farhat Taj, a pushtun woman journalist who extensively reports from the ground level. She says the people in NWFP and FATA are very happy with drone attacks because it kills Militants and give them freedom. All this drones are bad is a propaganda of Pakistani Army,
completely accepted.your points are 100% valid.can't comment on some news reports though my point is not against the use of drones for strikes, but against the policies of both govt's against drone victims
they could apologize & give ex Gratia isn't it?
 

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