Why Drones Are Here to Stay - US military operations in Pakistan
The row over US attacks in Pakistan has highlighted uncertainties over the rules of engagement. Maybe this isn’t such a bad thing. Recent weeks have brought into sharp focus just how delicate the balancing act is for the US-led coalition in Afghanistan as it battles extremists alongside a sometimes reluctant ally. In recent months, Western intelligence agencies intercepted information suggesting that terrorists were preparing to conduct mass murder along the lines of the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, in which 166 people were killed in a series of coordinated commando assaults. Indeed, the threat became so serious that the US State Department issued a warning to Americans travelling to Europe to be particularly vigilant. Concerned about evidence suggesting the likely attackers were being trained in terrorist safe havens in the tribal areas of northwest Pakistan, NATO stepped up its drone attacks on Pakistani territory and launched air strikes using helicopter gunships...