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Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Pakistani general says drone strikes in Waziristan actually are helping him

I was surprised to see that the Pakistani general operating in North Waziristan says that the American airstrikes in the area actually are helping him. This runs counter to the official Pakistani government line. "Myths and rumours about US predator strikes and the casualty figures are many, but it’s a reality that many of those ...

Bonny Schoonakker/AFP/Getty Images
Bonny Schoonakker/AFP/Getty Images
Bonny Schoonakker/AFP/Getty Images

I was surprised to see that the Pakistani general operating in North Waziristan says that the American airstrikes in the area actually are helping him. This runs counter to the official Pakistani government line.

I was surprised to see that the Pakistani general operating in North Waziristan says that the American airstrikes in the area actually are helping him. This runs counter to the official Pakistani government line.

"Myths and rumours about US predator strikes and the casualty figures are many, but it’s a reality that many of those being killed in these strikes are hardcore elements, a sizeable number of them foreigners," Maj. Gen. Ghayur Mehmood, commander of Pakistan’s 7th Division, said, according to the Dawn newspaper. "Yes there are a few civilian casualties in such precision strikes, but a majority of those eliminated are terrorists, including foreign terrorist elements."

Over the last four years, according to Pakistani military information given the newspaper, 164 drone strikes have been carried out, killing 171 foreigners and 793 locals.

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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