[Peace-discuss] The bad Obama...

[C. G. Estabrook]

	Obama 'to expand drone strikes' in Pakistan
	Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:49:37 GMT

The administration of the Nobel peace laureate, President Barack Obama, has 
authorized an expansion of drone attacks on Pakistan's troubled tribal regions, 
a new report says.

The New York Times report also says US and Pakistani officials are discussing 
the possibility of CIA operated drone strikes in Pakistan's Baluchistan province 
for the first time.

The purported aim of the American air strikes is to target militants. But 
Pakistani media outlets say the raids have mostly killed civilians.

The unpopular strikes were initiated under the George W Bush administration in 
2006.

Use of drones has increased since the Nobel peace laureate, Obama, became 
president.

Obama has repeatedly vowed to expand the controversial strikes that have raised 
anti-US sentiments across Pakistan.

The development also comes as Obama has announced his intention to deploy 33,000 
more troops to Afghanistan and his top commander in Afghanistan says that 
Washington is not planning an early exit from Afghanistan.

Although nearly 110,000 foreign troops are present in Afghanistan after more 
than eight years of US-led invasion, they have not been able to establish 
stability in the war-ravaged country.

Obama's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan was condemned by Democratic 
congressman Dennis Kucinich.

"The war is a threat to our national security. We'll spend over $100 billion 
next year to bomb a nation of poor people while we reenergize the Taliban, 
destabilize Pakistan, deplete our army and put more of our soldiers' lives on 
the line," the Ohio congressman said in a statement.

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