Gotta love it when Uncle Sam takes a lame threat from a peon Pakistani Army chief and shoves it right back in his face...and that happened today as a U.S. predator drone strike has hit in Pakistan's North Waziristan killing eight Taliban....less than 24 hours after the Pakistani military head warned America about any more kinds of incursions into Pakistan's sovereignty.
From Dawn:
US drone aircraft fired six missiles into a house in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region on Friday, killing at least eight suspected militants, local intelligence officials said.
It was the first US drone strike in Pakistan since US forces killed Osama bin Laden in a commando raid not far from Islamabad on May 2.
And like I said, this comes less than 24 hours after we all heard this (from The Long War Journal):
The Pakistani military issued a sharply worded statement today warning the US not to conduct covert actions in the future and ordering a reduction of US military personnel inside the country.
"COAS [Chief of Army Staff] made it very clear that any similar action, violating the sovereignty of Pakistan, will warrant a review on the level of military / intelligence cooperation with the United States," the statement said.
What this POS from the Pakistani military doesn't seem to get is that he has allowed his precious country to run lousy with terrorists...they're like ants with fresh leaves fallen on top of an ant hill. And luckily, the CIA has decided to say "fuck 'em" and continue the predator drone strikes.
The bottom line in all of this is that the Pakistani military has taken on the Taliban where it has been convenient for them and where the Taliban have very few Pakistani links. What we have NOT seen is any attempt by the Pakistani military to go after al Qaeda or the Taliban sects that have made nice nice with the ISI or Pakistan's army.
I've got a suggestion for the Pakistani army chief - go in and clean out North Waziristan and you pretty much won't have to worry about American intervention in your country. It's really that simple. But you don't have the balls to go into North Waziristan...either that or you have too many friends hiding there.
US missile strike kills eight suspected militants
MIRAMSHAH: US drone aircraft fired six missiles into a house in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region on Friday, killing at least eight suspected militants, local intelligence officials said.
It was the first US drone strike in Pakistan since US forces killed Osama bin Laden in a commando raid not far from Islamabad on May 2.
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After bin Laden raid, Pakistan Army chief warns US against violating sovereignty, orders reduction of US forces in country
The Pakistani military issued a sharply worded statement today warning the US not to conduct covert actions in the future and ordering a reduction of US military personnel inside the country.
The statement, which was released by the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Public Relations branch, is attributed to comments made by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the Chief of Army Staff, during a meeting with the corps commanders. The meeting was held just four days after the US launched a covert raid that killed Osama bin Laden inside a fortified safe house in the city of Abbottabad.
"COAS [Chief of Army Staff] made it very clear that any similar action, violating the sovereignty of Pakistan, will warrant a review on the level of military / intelligence cooperation with the United States," the statement said.
"The Corps Commanders were informed about the decision to reduce the strength of US military personnel in Pakistan to the minimum essential," it continued.
In early April, after the controversial Raymond Davis affair, Pakistan is reported to have asked the US to dramatically reduce US military, CIA and contractor personnel, according to The New York Times. Davis, a CIA contractor who is thought to have been observing terrorist networks in Pakistan, shot and killed two Pakistanis in late January. He was held for nearly two months despite having diplomatic immunity.
In today's statement Kayani admitted to "shortcomings in developing intelligence on the presence of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan," but claimed that the military's Inter-Services Intelligence directorate (ISI) is responsible for killing or capturing more than 100 top al Qaeda leaders and that it provided "initial information" that led to the bin Laden raid.
"However, in the case of Osama Bin Laden, while the CIA developed intelligence based on initial information provided by ISI, it did not share further development of intelligence on the case with ISI, contrary to the existing practice between the two services," the statement said.
Kayani also warned that its "strategic assets," or its nuclear weapons, would be heavily defended. Pakistan continues to produced nuclear weapons, and is estimated to have more than 100 serviceable warheads.
"As regards the possibility of similar hostile action against our strategic assets, the Forum reaffirmed that, unlike an undefended civilian compound, our strategic assets are well protected and an elaborate defensive mechanism is in place," the statement said.
Kayani further warned that India should not to attempt a similar raid on Pakistani territory, and "that any misadventure of this kind will be responded to very strongly. There should be no doubt about it."
Kayani's warning to the US comes as relations between the two countries are at an all-time low. Top US officials believe Pakistan was complicit in sheltering bin Laden. Two days ago, CIA Director Leon Panetta said that Pakistan could not be trusted with information about the planned raid to kill bin Laden.
"[I]t was decided that any effort to work with the Pakistanis could jeopardize the mission," Panetta told TIME. "They might alert the targets."
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