Terrorism tourism?

2009 saw 53 drone strikes in Pakistan’s rugged northwest tribal regions, the vast majority of them in North and South Waziristan, both when and where Faisal Shahzad reportedly received explosives training. News stories yesterday said that Shahzad was "angry" about the drone strikes and "decided to vent his anger" by attempting to car bomb Times ...

2009 saw 53 drone strikes in Pakistan's rugged northwest tribal regions, the vast majority of them in North and South Waziristan, both when and where Faisal Shahzad reportedly received explosives training. News stories yesterday said that Shahzad was "angry" about the drone strikes and "decided to vent his anger" by attempting to car bomb Times Square. For all their successes in killing militant leaders like Baitullah Mehsud and Saleh al-Somali, along with hundreds of other low-level militants (in what is apparently part of the CIA's strategy for the drones -- firing missiles without fully identifying the targets), the United States cannot discount the fact that the drone strikes do not appear to be deterring some would-be bombers from seeking training in Waziristan's camps. Najibullah Zazi, the Afghan-American coffee cart vendor who pleaded guilty to planning to attack New York City subway lines, also spent time in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) training with al Qaeda in 2008, even though George W. Bush's administration authorized 34 strikes in the tribal areas that year. And while local militants in the FATA say they fear the drones -- calling them wasps and sleeping outdoors under trees -- Westerners are still going.

2009 saw 53 drone strikes in Pakistan’s rugged northwest tribal regions, the vast majority of them in North and South Waziristan, both when and where Faisal Shahzad reportedly received explosives training. News stories yesterday said that Shahzad was "angry" about the drone strikes and "decided to vent his anger" by attempting to car bomb Times Square. For all their successes in killing militant leaders like Baitullah Mehsud and Saleh al-Somali, along with hundreds of other low-level militants (in what is apparently part of the CIA’s strategy for the drones — firing missiles without fully identifying the targets), the United States cannot discount the fact that the drone strikes do not appear to be deterring some would-be bombers from seeking training in Waziristan’s camps. Najibullah Zazi, the Afghan-American coffee cart vendor who pleaded guilty to planning to attack New York City subway lines, also spent time in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) training with al Qaeda in 2008, even though George W. Bush’s administration authorized 34 strikes in the tribal areas that year. And while local militants in the FATA say they fear the drones — calling them wasps and sleeping outdoors under trees — Westerners are still going.

Katherine Tiedemann is a policy analyst at the New America Foundation and the co-editor of the AfPak Channel.

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.