Revenge of the Killer Bees

And to think I used to like honey..

CIA’s war in Pakistan

LAHORE: Along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, the US has deployed some of the most sophisticated killing machines ever created. Al Qaeda and the Taliban, which could not be eliminated by tanks, gunships and missiles, will they be stamped out by CIA-operated unmanned aircraft? That was the bet former US president George W Bush placed during his final months in office. The attacks have been stepped up under President Barack Obama. The hum of the drones is a familiar sound in Waziristan today. Tribesmen call them machay, or red bees. The main objectives of the campaign is to kill Al Qaeda’s top-tier leadership and deny sanctuary to the fighters who routinely slip across the border to attack US forces in Afghanistan. But is the drone war winnable? The White House routinely dodges questions on the subject, and neither the CIA nor the State Department would talk about it on the record. CIA officials say at least nine of the top 20 high-value Al Qaeda targets identified last fall have been killed by the drone strikes besides some lesser figures. daily times monitor