The Silent Killer
Posted on 05. Aug, 2009 by Stenberg-Tendys W.L. in Politics
Death drops on silent wings, from the sky, with no chance of escape if you happen to be a resident in the northern area of Pakistan.
A suspected U.S. drone has killed Baitullah Mehsud, the Taliban leader in Pakistan and his second wife. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dropped two missiles, targeting the home of Mehsud’s father-in–law in northwestern Pakistan. At first it was not thought that Mehsud was in the house at the time of the strike.
The United States is the only military that has the capability of operating missile launching UAVs in the region. It is believed that key Taliban leaders have been targeted by the Pakistani military and hideouts belonging to Mehsud are regularly shelled by both Pakistani and suspected U.S. drones. Washington does not, however, acknowledge responsibility for these strikes.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan was gunned down at a political rally in December 2007. Bhutto’s widower, Asif Ali Zardari, is the current president of Pakistan. One of Mehsud’s close aides recently confirmed that the Taliban chief was behind the assassination of Bhutto, though Mehdud denies this.
Mehsud is the leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban militant group and is suspected of organizing dozens of other suicide attacks in Pakistan. A few weeks ago the Pakistani army said it was preparing for a major offensive against Mehsud and his network. Pakistan has deployed more than 100,000 troops to flush out militants and their local supporters in North and South Waziristan tribal regions.
The drones being used can range in size from nothing larger than a model aircraft weighing just a few ounces, to craft the size of a Boeing 737, with long flight times and low airspeeds. The demand for real-time video from UAVs has been growing at 300% per year.
The UAVs require computer bandwidth, trained crews and linguists to pore over intercepted communication between insurgents. Entire teams are employed in drone warfare, both in the surveillance and assessment of targets. The drones are in place and sending feed-back to the home base, long before the missile carrying AUVs enter the area.
