Posted on 03/26/2009 9:42:23 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
The reported United States plan to use Predator drone aircraft to attack targets in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan may affect activity there by the Chinese, who have focused most of their investment in the country in that area, notably around the seaport of Gwadar, according to local analysts.
United States President Barack Obama and his top aides are reported to be considering expanding covert operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders to Balochistan, particularly in and around the provincial capital of Quetta. Taliban leader Mullah Omar is rumored to be based in the province, something denied last week by Balochistan chief minister Mohammad Aslam Raisanit. The US operations could include strikes by remote-controlled aircraft, or drones. To date, these unmanned craft have concentrated their efforts on the tribal areas that border Afghanistan.
US drones have carried out more than 30 drone strikes since early 2008. The strikes have killed about 300 people, including several mid-level al-Qaeda members, according to a tally of reports from Pakistani officials and residents of border regions, according to Reuters.
While Gwadar seaport, just 624 nautical kilometers east of the Strait of Hormuz, gateway to the Persian Gulf, lies about 1,000 kilometers from Quetta, the project has already been delayed due to insurgent activity by rebels hostile to the central government. The possibility of using America's Central Intelligence Agency-operated drones in the province, the country's most economically backward area, may further destabilize security there and create a severe domestic backlash.
Projected improved transport links between Gwadar and Quetta and a planned oil pipeline linking the port to China's western region could also be threatened if drone attacks increase the level of local unrest.
The Chinese are developing Gwadar to serve as a strategic base to spread Beijing's influence in oil-rich Middle East and Central Asia.
(Excerpt) Read more at atimes.com ...
I’d prefer a headline that said: “Red Chinese caught in drone’s targeting”.
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