Obama 'to expand drone strikes' in Pakistan
Contributing:
The administration of the Nobel peace laureate, President Barack Obama, has authorized an expansion of drone attacks on Pakistan's troubled tribal regions, a new report says.
The New York Times report also says US and Pakistani officials are discussing the possibility of CIA operated drone strikes in Pakistan's Baluchistan province for the first time.
The purported aim of the American air strikes is to target militants. But Pakistani media outlets say the raids have mostly killed civilians.
The unpopular strikes were initiated under the George W Bush administration in 2006.
Use of drones has increased since the Nobel peace laureate, Obama, became president.
Obama has repeatedly vowed to expand the controversial strikes that have raised anti-US sentiments across Pakistan.
The development also comes as Obama has announced his intention to deploy 33,000 more troops to Afghanistan and his top commander in Afghanistan says that Washington is not planning an early exit from Afghanistan.
Although nearly 110,000 foreign troops are present in Afghanistan after more than eight years of US-led invasion, they have not been able to establish stability in the war-ravaged country.
Obama's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan was condemned by Democratic congressman Dennis Kucinich.
"The war is a threat to our national security. We'll spend over $100 billion next year to bomb a nation of poor people while we reenergize the Taliban, destabilize Pakistan, deplete our army and put more of our soldiers' lives on the line," the Ohio congressman said in a statement.
JR/MTM/DT
Contributing:
The administration of the Nobel peace laureate, President Barack Obama, has authorized an expansion of drone attacks on Pakistan's troubled tribal regions, a new report says.
The New York Times report also says US and Pakistani officials are discussing the possibility of CIA operated drone strikes in Pakistan's Baluchistan province for the first time.
The purported aim of the American air strikes is to target militants. But Pakistani media outlets say the raids have mostly killed civilians.
The unpopular strikes were initiated under the George W Bush administration in 2006.
Use of drones has increased since the Nobel peace laureate, Obama, became president.
Obama has repeatedly vowed to expand the controversial strikes that have raised anti-US sentiments across Pakistan.
The development also comes as Obama has announced his intention to deploy 33,000 more troops to Afghanistan and his top commander in Afghanistan says that Washington is not planning an early exit from Afghanistan.
Although nearly 110,000 foreign troops are present in Afghanistan after more than eight years of US-led invasion, they have not been able to establish stability in the war-ravaged country.
Obama's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan was condemned by Democratic congressman Dennis Kucinich.
"The war is a threat to our national security. We'll spend over $100 billion next year to bomb a nation of poor people while we reenergize the Taliban, destabilize Pakistan, deplete our army and put more of our soldiers' lives on the line," the Ohio congressman said in a statement.
JR/MTM/DT
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