WikiLeaks: Pakistan Asked for More, Not Fewer Drones
At the same time the Pakistani public was decrying the CIA's use of drone strikes in their country, Pakistan's top army general was asking a top U.S. official in behind-the-scenes meetings for more drones to help during military operations, according to a leaked U.S. State Department cable published online today.
"Referring to the situation in Waziristan,
Kayani asked if Fallon could assist in providing continuous Predator coverage of the conflict area. Fallon regretted that he did not have the assets to support this request," says the February 2008 cable posted by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. Waziristan is a mountainous region in northwest Pakistan that borders Afghanistan.
While the U.S. State Department by policy does not verify the contents of leaked secret cables, the Pakistani military responded to news reports on the drone request today, saying Pakistan has never asked for armed drone attack support "for our operations which have been conducted using our own resources." There has only been sharing of technical intelligence in some areas, the spokesperson said.
During the specific operation to which the cable refers -- a military operation in Waziristan from 2008 to 2010 -- "not even outside technical support was asked for," the spokesperson said.
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http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/wikileaks-cable-pakistan-asked-fewer-drones/story?id=13647893