From Reuters:
America’s ramped-up Predator drone campaign against al Qaeda in Pakistan’s northwest is starting to pay off, according to U.S. and Pakistani intelligence authorities quoted in a clutch of media reports.
Eleven of the group’s top 20 “high value targets” along the Afghan border have been eliminated in the past six months Newsweek magazine reports, citing Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The strikes by the unmanned drones circling high above Pakistan’s rugged tribal areas have been so pin-pointed that in one case a missile fired at a hideout in North Waziristan didn’t just hit the right house, but the room in which Mustafa al-Misri (”Mustafa the Egyptian”) and several other Qaeda operatives were holed up. the magazine reports, quoting a Taliban sub-commander.
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My Comment: The introduction of the Reaper has had a huge impact. When you lose more than half of your organization's leadership .... there are consequences. And the Reaper is racking up an impressive number of hits.
The next year is going to be a break or make situation for both sides. The U.S. surge in Afghanistan is going to provoke a major backlash from the Taliban and their allies. To deter and kill the enemy, the Reapers and Predators are going to be deployed to target the enemy when the Marines and Special Forces start flushing them out.
Will there be enough Reapers to hit the enemy. Will Pakistan continue to assist the U.S. in targeting Al Qaeda elements in their country. Will the Afghans and our allies assist us in the countryside.
We will find out this year.