The US has conducted a Drone campaign in Afghanistan during the last few years which has caused withering damage on the Taliban. This campaign has effectively turned the tide of the war in the favor of the US and NATO forces and have kept the terrorists off balance for quite a while.
The attacks have crippled the terrorists to the point that terror leaders are afraid to come out into the open. This campaign has kept the organization in such a shambles that they have not been able to effectively mount a campaign against NATO and the US.
The US, NATO, and the Pakistanis have been at an impasse lately because of the accidental killing of about two dozen Pakistani troops recently. Because of this the government of Pakistan has asked the United States to suspend its drone campaign on their territory.
The marriage between the US and Pakistan has been no more than a marriage of convenience to say the least. Both of these countries need each other but there is no love lost between the two. Pakistan is taking all of the US aid that we will throw their way as well as the profit that they are getting from allowing us to transport supplies across their country.
The United States needs the support of the Pakistanis to fight the terrorists in the region, but that support has been sporadic in the best of circumstances.. The Pakistanis know that the US cant effectively fight the terrorists when they can do their dirt and run back across the border into Pakistan when they are finished. They want the US aid that is contingent on helping the US but they dont want to lose face with their Arab brothers in the region.
The pause in the US drone campaign because of the friction between the US and Pakistan has allowed terrorist leaders to be able to move around more than they had been able to in the past. They have been able to gain some of the ground that they had lost during the height of the campaign. Insurgents have certainly taken advantage of this situation, which is what any smart adversary would do.
The other thing that really helps them out is the fact that the Pakistanis have been lackluster in their attempts to control or eliminate the terrorists.
Since the cutback in drone missions, Taliban fighters have been able to move more freely throughout the mountainous border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The sense that they may not be hit at any moment by a drone-launched missile has also reduced tension and infighting among Taliban units.
The lull has resulted in a 10 percent rise in violence in the Pakistan tribal regions, as well as unconfirmed reports that some local government officials were negotiating deals and unofficial truces with local Taliban units.
The Pakistanis still have the overland supply routes that the US depends on to resupply their troops in Afghanistan blocked.
The Pakistanis have placed the blame for the shooting of their troops squarely on U.S. forces, while the U.S. has maintained there were errors on both sides.
Even before the November accident, however, some State Department and National Security Council officials had lobbied for easing up on drone attacks, according to a report last month in the Los Angeles Times. These officials argued that killing low-level officials and Taliban foot soldiers that can easily be replaced is not worth the danger of a serious, permanent rupture between the U.S. and Pakistani government. I agree with this assessment but I believe the campaign is worth continuing because of the large number of high value terrorists who have been killed by US drones. Military Ring Express
The attacks have crippled the terrorists to the point that terror leaders are afraid to come out into the open. This campaign has kept the organization in such a shambles that they have not been able to effectively mount a campaign against NATO and the US.
The US, NATO, and the Pakistanis have been at an impasse lately because of the accidental killing of about two dozen Pakistani troops recently. Because of this the government of Pakistan has asked the United States to suspend its drone campaign on their territory.
The marriage between the US and Pakistan has been no more than a marriage of convenience to say the least. Both of these countries need each other but there is no love lost between the two. Pakistan is taking all of the US aid that we will throw their way as well as the profit that they are getting from allowing us to transport supplies across their country.
The United States needs the support of the Pakistanis to fight the terrorists in the region, but that support has been sporadic in the best of circumstances.. The Pakistanis know that the US cant effectively fight the terrorists when they can do their dirt and run back across the border into Pakistan when they are finished. They want the US aid that is contingent on helping the US but they dont want to lose face with their Arab brothers in the region.
The pause in the US drone campaign because of the friction between the US and Pakistan has allowed terrorist leaders to be able to move around more than they had been able to in the past. They have been able to gain some of the ground that they had lost during the height of the campaign. Insurgents have certainly taken advantage of this situation, which is what any smart adversary would do.
The other thing that really helps them out is the fact that the Pakistanis have been lackluster in their attempts to control or eliminate the terrorists.
Since the cutback in drone missions, Taliban fighters have been able to move more freely throughout the mountainous border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The sense that they may not be hit at any moment by a drone-launched missile has also reduced tension and infighting among Taliban units.
The lull has resulted in a 10 percent rise in violence in the Pakistan tribal regions, as well as unconfirmed reports that some local government officials were negotiating deals and unofficial truces with local Taliban units.
The Pakistanis still have the overland supply routes that the US depends on to resupply their troops in Afghanistan blocked.
The Pakistanis have placed the blame for the shooting of their troops squarely on U.S. forces, while the U.S. has maintained there were errors on both sides.
Even before the November accident, however, some State Department and National Security Council officials had lobbied for easing up on drone attacks, according to a report last month in the Los Angeles Times. These officials argued that killing low-level officials and Taliban foot soldiers that can easily be replaced is not worth the danger of a serious, permanent rupture between the U.S. and Pakistani government. I agree with this assessment but I believe the campaign is worth continuing because of the large number of high value terrorists who have been killed by US drones. Military Ring Express
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