US Drone Strike in Pakistan

   ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — An American drone strike killed a top Pakistani militant commander in a northwestern tribal region, security officials said on Thursday. The death of the commander, Maulvi Nazir, was seen as a serious blow to Taliban fighters who attack United States and allied forces in neighboring Afghanistan.
   The drone strike took place on Wednesday night and targeted Mr. Nazir’s vehicle in the Angoor Adda area in South Waziristan. Five other people were also killed, including one of his key aides, officials said.

    “Maulvi Nazir would probably have posed a problem for the Pakistan Army if and when a political settlement is reached in Afghanistan in 2014. But in the interim, the killing of Nazir and his deputies likely hurts the Pakistan Army’s efforts against the T.T.P. [Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan] in South Waziristan,” said Arif Rafiq, an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute, based in Washington.

    “Nazir would probably have wanted to hold on to his local jihadist fiefdom, making him a long-term threat for the Pakistani state,” said Mr. Rafiq.

    The suspicion that the Pakistani military gave a nod to Mr. Nazir’s killing could result in attacks on Pakistani troops in some areas in South Waziristan, analysts said.

    Pakistani officials publicly denounce American drone strikes but have privately acknowledged the effectiveness of the campaign.

   This passage was published on January 3, 2012, by The New York Times by Salman Masood and Ismail Khan (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/04/world/asia/us-drone-strike-is-said-to-kill-a-top-pakistani-militant.html?ref=world&_r=0).

   I think the whole situation is very interesting. First, drones are becoming the rage for the American government when it comes to fighting terrorism. These remote-controlled vehicles have come a long way in the last ten years, and are able to go places foot soldiers would never be able to access. These drones have all sorts of uses, and some have even reached the size of insects.

   The ability to spy on enemies has now reached a new height, which should make it easier for the US to carry out such spy missions. This then begs the question: what else could/will these drones be used for?

   With this kind of technology, the government could seemingly find and dispatch any person at anytime they wish. And when other governments get this technology, war will again take a new shape. It's always been a battle over who has the better technology, whether it be men, guns, satellites, missiles, or these new "bugs". It will be interesting watching how this weapon pans out in the next twenty -- even ten -- years.