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Missile Strikes Kill 20 in PakistanPosted on Jan 23, 2009
At least 20 people were killed in Pakistan on Friday in two missile attacks that are being attributed to unmanned U.S. drones near the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was the first such strike since Barack Obama took office as president.
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A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
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By KDelphi, January 27 at 7:58 pm #
Maybe we should try to destroy all countries with nukes—-he who has the most nukes first..oh, that’s right, we already are.
Report thisBy Claus-Erik Hamle, January 26 at 8:32 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
16 US Intelligence Agencies say that Iran IS NOT pursuing nuclear weapons. The UN inspectors in Iran can find NO EVIDENCE that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, Gates said that Iran is “hellbent” on achieving nuclear weapons. And Obama has twice said that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. Are they mad or what´s the matter with them ? Iran has done nothing illegal and so the UN sanctions are ILLEGAL.
Report thisBy vancemack, January 26 at 12:34 pm #
This is pert near incredible…in the span of a week they have gone from “tribesmen” to “suspected militants.”
How wonderful…now we can go back to calling terrorists and murderers terrorsists and murderers and not ‘freedom fighters.’ By damn…we might just have us a war against terrorists yet!
We MUST be fighting a war…Joe Biden just said so. Off to Afghanistan we go!
Report thisBy ronald Orf, January 25 at 11:00 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Three days in office and already Obama is a cross between Hitler, Nero, and a berserk Tickle me Elmo doll! You people really need to get out more.
Report thisBy Ronald Orf, January 25 at 10:56 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Uh, excuse me but why do you people have yout panties in a wad over kiling some people who actually ARE terrorists, as these people apparently were? These are foreign nationals in a country to ferment the situation and install the worst kind of intolerant regime. I have a Bosnian friend who in a Muslim anf fought in their civil war near Kosovo. He switched sides when foreign nationals from Pakistan, Afghan., Iran, and other countries started showing up to “help them”. Before long they were telling us ” how to wear our underwear, trim our beards, and treat out women. I said to hell with them!” And so should we.
Since when are a bunch of liberals on the side of the fricking TALIBAN! These people throw acid in the faces of girls going to school and stone women for being raped! Have you gone so antiwar that you have lost your sense of proportion?
Report thisBy Sullen Susy, January 25 at 10:25 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
It is as if that some of you believe that Obama was sitting around waiting to murder innocent Pakistanis. I understand that all of your extensive foreign policy experience lead you all to know that what the newly elected President has done is somehow nothing more than a violent act against people who are unable to defend themselves…but not everything is so black and white.
Report thisBy Leefeller, January 25 at 1:54 pm #
We have not had one attack on U.S of A. soil since this Drone rocket attack, one can only conclude that the Drone attacks are keeping our nations safe.
Report thisBy William T. DeMente, January 25 at 1:32 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
UNWINNABLE
Report thisBy Fadel Abdallah, January 25 at 1:19 pm #
So we have now to open a record book on how many Muslims will be killed on Obama’s watch! Just in less than a week on Obama’s watch some 18 civilian Afghanis have been killed.
Yet, there are still Americans who wonder why do they hate us too much!
And yet again, there are those who still believe in the sugar-coated language of “change we can count on”!
Report thisBy Scotty_Mack, January 25 at 4:06 am #
Wow. Some peace candidate. The Obodycount begins. Glad I didn’t vote to kill those people.
Report thisBy SiberianRat, January 25 at 3:03 am #
This sort of thing is tremendously unhelpful. I truly hope that this is not a sign of things to come.
Report thisBy Folktruther, January 25 at 2:43 am #
Tony—Obama was for escalating the Afghan war to Pakistan BEFORE the US, and Bush, started bombing Pakistan homes.He is LEADING the war into Pakistan.
He has a personal stake in Pakistan because that is the only foreign policy experience he has, being sent out there when working for a year at the CIA front after finishing Columbia.
Tony-how long are you going to keep making these dingbat arguments and acknowledge that Obama is continuing the War on Terrorism of Bush. He has now been pro-Zionist, pro-bank bailout, pro-spying on the American people, pro-military and pro-business. He has stated that he is going to try to decrease social security and medicare. He is heating up a trade war with China.
In stating that Obama loves me you are beginning to sound like a religous nut. Instead of a political nut.
Report thisBy Tony Wicher, January 25 at 2:13 am #
Re KDelphi, January 24 at 4:04 pm #
Tony—so on the thread about the drone attacks on Pakistan, all you can do is say Obama “loves someone”? You are getting seriously off all topics, my friend.
x=x=x=x=x=x=x
That post was only meant for Folktruther, and it was a comment on his post where he says that Obama is joining with neo-Liberal Republicrats and freezing out “progressives”. I must admit this doesn’t have much to do with a drone over Pakistan killing innocent people. If I may comment on that I will say that it is in the interest of the international criminal gang that is behind this war to keep it going while they make billions and billions dealing drugs and it will take Obama some time to put a stop to it. He must proceed cautiously and they will most likely try to kill him.
Report thisBy ThnkUBush, January 25 at 12:21 am #
For all those here who have repeatedly claimed that Iran is seeking only a “peaceful nuclear energy program” and, it’s only the Bush Administration’s “web of lies and fear”, please read.
——
The most up-to-date intelligence predictions of US nuclear experts is that by the end of 2009, Iran will have stocked enough weapons-grade fuel to build three nuclear bombs.
Iran may deny the latest IAEA conclusion that it has stockpiled 630 kg of low-enriched uranium, enough to upgrade a nuclear weapon. But Tehran’s limited on-and-off cooperation with the nuclear watchdog leaves it wide open to the suspicion of a secret location churning out enriched uranium far from the declared Natanz facility.
Intelligence predictions suggest that next year Tehran may stage an underground atomic test to show Muslims everywhere what the Shiites can do and confront the new US with its unstoppable nuclear capability.
Report thisBy Paul Siemering, January 24 at 11:21 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
it’s true Obama has been talking ragtime about Afghanistan through his campaign. I thought maybe he was just trying to convince the voters he could be “tough”, and that once in office he would quietly forget about it, Now it looks like he might actually believe his own rhetoric, and that is pathetic.
What we need now is a formal declaration that the “war on terror” is over,that there never really was such a thing,that you can’t wage war on a word, or on a method of combat.
the other thing i’d like to scream about here is the use of drones- here or anywhere else. There can’t be any more cowardly way to attack anyone than this. They have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’ve seen our brave troops sitting in front of their computer screens in Montana or Wyoming watching their drones, then when they see something to hit push the button, and drop the bombs.
Report thisBy ThnkUBush, January 24 at 11:21 pm #
All the several thousand comments on TruthDig regarding the Bush Administration’s many lies, fear mongering and provocations toward Iran can now be revisited. No longer can these comments be all about President Bush.
The narrative changed when the presidency changed.
——-
Military sources report that a US Navy Coast Guard team this week boarded an Iranian arms ship flying a Cypriot flag in the Red Sea and found weapons in its hold.
The Obama Administration displayed it’s teeth toward Iran as this is the firs time an America warship had ever intercepted an Iranian vessel in international water. The incident activated the Memo of Understanding the former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice signed with Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni a week ago on actions to halt the flow of Iranian arms to Hamas as part of the Gaza ceasefire.
The Iranian ship’s captain showed the US boarding team documents recording the Syrian port of Latakia as its cargo’s destination. There are reports that both US and Israeli intelligence are certain the arms were bound for Hamas. But, according to international law, the US Navy’s Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, set up last week to combat piracy, was not authorized to confiscate the cargo or stop the ship because no enforcement mechanism was yet in place.
After a few hours, therefore, the US force released the Iranian vessel and two warships escorted it out of Red Sea waters. The ship and its escort are due to enter the Suez Canal heading north Saturday night, Jan. 23, after being prevented from unloading its arms freight on the coast of Sinai or Gaza.
Tehran has so far not reacted to the incident.
Report thisBy Josh Miles, January 24 at 9:20 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Already a war criminal. Took only 4 days.
Report thisBy KDelphi, January 24 at 9:04 pm #
Tony—so on the thread about the drone attacks on Pakistan, all you can do is say Obama “loves someone”? You are getting seriously off all topics, my friend.
Report thisBy Tony Wicher, January 24 at 8:35 pm #
By Folktruther, January 24 at 12:23 pm #
He is uniting the right wing Dems and the mainstream Gops to isolate progressives and to continue a Zionist neoliberal imperialist strategy.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Folktruther,
It depends on which “progressives” you mean. If you are talking about people like you, you are already doing a fine job of isolating yourself. It’s OK though. Obama loves you.
Report thisBy 1twenty1, January 24 at 6:53 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Why can’t we use these much more efficient means for dealing with criminals here in the States? Why pay all those S.W.A.T. team members good wages when we could just missile a dwelling where bad guys are hold up? Women and kids are no less disposable here than they are any where else. Right?
No? Then we could ask them to apply skin toner and hold Korans. Then, according to past history, I know it would be alright. Right Mr. President?
Report thisBy Folktruther, January 24 at 5:23 pm #
Dihey is right. I assumed that becuase Obama was continuing the policies of Bush that he would be as bad as him. But he is continuing them in an historically worse situation so his policies will be WORSE.
He was ushered in to the presidency on the Gazan sluaghter, which the first thing he did as president was to legitimate and continue. Now he is escalating the Afghan war to Pakistan. he has stated that he is going to INCREASE the military, at a time when he is trying to cut social security and medicare.
And he is triangulating the American Elite truth consensus to do it. What the mainstream media, including the pseudo-progressive media, refers to as a Centralist position is atually a right wing position as far as the population is concerned. He is uniting the right wing Dems and the mainstream Gops to isolate progressives and to continue a Zionist neoliberal imperialist strategy. Uniting the American people to support Bushite policies, isolating both electoral DemGop wings.
Clearly the American population must find other ways to exert power. And a precondition for this is to begin to understand how massively the American power structure has deluded the American people. Most effectively by the mainstream pseudo-progressive truth.
Report thisBy squeaky jones, January 24 at 4:37 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Obama is just doing what he is told; for, he is a lighter shade of evil. There is big monay in the misery business; and, look for all these horrors unleached on the good people of the Middle East, Gaza, The West Bank, etc. to come to your neighborhood soon. There is no countries; but, only corporations, and currency. In other words, regular people of the world do not matter, unless you work for the dark side. Squeaky
Report thisBy KDelphi, January 24 at 4:08 pm #
It is all so “unclear”—even in the Wash Post story…why doesnt someone at the Pentagon, or somewhere, make a statement?! It certainly makes one nervous about what/why/ to whom this was done.
Allan, you know why. Because, despite what news org in US would like for you to believe, we are still fighting the “war on terror”.
I dont recall anyone saying , besides the media, that we were not. It was made clear during Obama’s campaign how he felt about the “war” in Afghanistan—-this as about 30 miles from the border. This is how this “war on terror” is going to play out, until the people of the uS realize that it will never work , and, is a criminal enterprise.
If you want to “fight terror in Afghanistan”, you dont think that the “enemy” will just stay put and wait for us, no? These borders are almost non-existent.
None of the other articles I’ve read about it, really shed any light, either.
I do not think that just “not mentioning” it is going to make it “go away”—on the other hand, the press certainly has “forgotten” Gaza quickly, hasnt it?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090124/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5575883.ece
The intl papers are seeing it quite differently, as usual.
Report thisBy dihey, January 24 at 4:03 pm #
A visitor from Mars might file the following report from his visit to Earth. “The Earth is populated by numerous national clans which inhabit more-or-less well defined territories. Several of these clans are ruled by warlords some of whom are elected by their people. The most powerful is the clan America whose newly elected warlord Obama has now begun to attack the sub-clan Taliban/El Qaeda in the territory of clan Pakistan”.
Report thisActually I have warned on several occasions in the past that Mr. Obama would be a dangerous warlord-president. My warnings were based on his interviews with the Chicago Tribune in which he repeatedly referred to “our interests in the Middle East”, a standard catch-phrase for military intervention in the region from Israel to Indo-China. Mr. Obama also opined that the USA would eventually have to conduct a “sanitary operation” against Iran. While it is not clear what he meant by “sanitary operation” one can expect a continuation of the aggressive Clinton/Bush- policy against Iran after a short period of pretend-diplomacy.
Our only “interest in the Middle East” is the unfettered purchase of crude oil which does not require military intervention as long as we are willing to pay the market price for the commodity. Once President Obama has made us “energy independent” we no longer have any “interest in the Middle East”!
Meanwhile brace yourself for more-of-the-same and perhaps even worse behavior in the Middle East under the stewardship of warlord Obama.
By Bilejones, January 24 at 2:51 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
And the murders of brown people continue. Business as usual, some change.
Report thisBy Allan Gurfinkle, January 24 at 12:23 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Why isn’t someone charging the US with war crimes ?
Why isn’t the UN doing/saying something.
Why isn’t there a resolution in the security council ?
These aren’t rhetorical, I’m really wondering why someone or some organization doesn’t take these at least symbolic steps.
Report thisBy William T. DeMente, January 24 at 1:55 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
same s**t different day. not much learned from Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
Report thisBy Fadel Abdallah, January 24 at 12:30 am #
So it’s business as usual!
Bush-Obama or Obama-Bush, what’s the difference?!
This is a political-military arrogant and misguided culture obsessed with “terrorism,” forgetting in the process that they are the ultimate terrorists who continue creating their own counter terrorists.
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