Drones Target Terror Plot, The Wall Street Journal, 27 September 2010

EXCERPT: "In an effort to foil a suspected terrorist plot against European targets, the Central Intelligence Agency has ramped up missile strikes against militants in Pakistan's tribal regions, current and former officials say.  The strikes, launched from unmanned drone aircraft, represent a rare use of the CIA's drone campaign to preempt a possible attack on the West. The terror plot, which officials have been tracking for weeks, is believed to target multiple countries, including the U.K., France, and Germany, these officials said. [...] Not all of the drone strikes in the latest wave are connected to the suspected European plot. But many have targeted militants who are part of the Haqqani network, a militant group connected to al Qaeda.  While it couldn't be learned who is believed to be behind the plot against European targets, the targeting of the Haqqani network suggests it could be involved. 'There have been some actionable targets, including Haqqani targets, that have presented themselves,' said one U.S. military official."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
, Foreign Policy // The AfPak Channel, 28 September 2010
Why have the drone strikes in Pakistan skyrocketed?, NPR, 28 September 2010
US drone strike kills four in South Waziristan, DAWN, 28 September 2010
, The New York Times, 27 September 2010

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