So why was there such a mass protest and strike against them today?
Apparently shops, markets and bazaars shut down as part of a mass strike as a protest against the CIA unmanned drone attacks.
One of the main organisers of the strike told AFP,
“They are attacking civilians, they are killing women, children and old-age people,”
And we scratch our heads and wonder why there is an endless supply of Jihadis wanting to come over here and blow us up!
What would you do if Pakistan was sending unmanned drones attacking alleged training camps in rural Hertfordshire and blowing up farms and cottages?
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From http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/pakistani-tribesmen-protest-against-us-drone-strikes-jd-02
Pakistani tribesmen protest against US drone strikes
MIRANSHAH: Tribesmen in Pakistan's most notorious militant stronghold observed a shut-down Thursday to protest against a major surge in US drone attacks, witnesses and elders said.
“We are protesting against the drone attacks. Americans are killing innocent civilians but the government has completely failed to protect us,”Malik Jalal, a tribal elder and one of the strike organisers told AFP.
Shops, markets and bazaars closed in the four main towns of North Waziristan on Thursday, including the district capital Miranshah, an AFP reporter said.
Pakistani officials have reported that at least 21 US drone attacks have killed around 120 people in September, the highest monthly tally of attacks.
The overwhelming majority of the attacks have been carried out in North Waziristan, considered Pakistan's most notorious bastion of Al-Qaeda-linked and Taliban commanders opposed to the US-led war in Afghanistan.
Most of the strikes have targeted the Haqqani network, one of the strongest US foes in Afghanistan whose leadership is based in North Waziristan.
But local tribesmen claimed the US missiles were killing civilians.
“They are attacking civilians, they are killing women, children and old-age people,” Jalal told AFP.
“The government should take immediate steps to stop drone attacks otherwise it should resign,” said former lawmaker Maulana Mohammad Deendar.
Washington has classified Pakistan's tribal belt on the Afghan border as a global headquarters of Al-Qaeda and the most dangerous place on Earth.
A covert US drone war in Pakistan has killed around 1,140 people in about 140 strikes since August 2008, including a number of senior militants, but the attacks fuel anti-American sentiment in the conservative Muslim country.
Under US pressure to crack down on Islamist havens, Pakistan has stepped up military operations against largely homegrown militants in the area.
But commanders have so far avoided a major offensive in North Waziristan, arguing that gains elsewhere need to be consolidated to prevent their troops from being stretched too thin.
©2010 DAWN Media Group. All rights reserved.
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