May 19, 2013
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Description
The United States government has made hundreds of attacks on targets in northwest Pakistan since 2004 using drones controlled by the American Central Intelligence Agency's Special Activities Division. These attacks are part of the United States' War on Terror campaign, seeking to defeat Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan. Most of these attacks are on targets in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border in Northwest Pakistan. These strikes were begun by President George W. Bush and have increased substantially under the Presidency of Barack Obama. Some media refer to the series of attacks as a "drone war".
Pakistan's government publicly condemns these attacks, but has secretly shared intelligence with the United States and also allegedly allowed the drones to operate from Shamsi Airfield in Pakistan until 21 April 2011, when 150 Americans left the base. According to secret diplomatic cables leaked by Wikileaks, Pakistan's Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani not only tacitly agreed to the drone flights, but in 2008 requested Americans to increase them. However, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik said, "drone missiles cause collateral damage. A few militants are killed, but the majority of victims are innocent citizens." The strikes are often linked to anti-American sentiment in Pakistan and the growing questionability of the scope and extent of CIA activities in Pakistan.
(via Freebase)
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![Obama administration seeks to codify its kill list with drone rule book [Press TV, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-14406000/14406576/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=117cea9b82eb8462cd7cb572781bf9fa)
![US assassination drone kills three in Pakistan's North Waziristan [Press TV, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-12856000/12856632/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=66f91e467495c9281345dac6dbdc5d9d)