Leon Panetta Has a Few More Drone Wars Ready to go.

There once was a time, just last year, when Defense Secretary Leon Panetta thought the U.S. was thisclose to wiping al-Qaida off the face of the earth, once and for all. That appears to have gone up in the flames of the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Now, a more dour Panetta believes that it’s not enough to continue the drone strikes and commando raids in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia; they’ve got to expand “outside declared combat zones” to places like Nigeria, Mali and even Libya.

That was Panetta’s message at Tuesday evening address to the Center for American Security, an influential Washington defense think tank. Panetta, a former director of the CIA, gave a strong defense of counterterrorism drone strikes and commando raids, calling them “the most precise campaign in the history of warfare,” and indicated strongly that they’re only going to intensify in the coming years.

“This campaign against al Qaeda will largely take place outside declared combat zones,” Panetta said in his prepared remarks, “using a small-footprint approach that includes precision operations, partnered activities with foreign Special Operations Forces, and capacity building so that partner countries can be more effective in combating terrorism on their own.” He referenced “expanding our fleet of Predator and Reaper” drones and beefing up Special Operations Forces by another 8,000 commandos in the next five years. Even if combat is ending for most conventional units, those forces — already frequently deployed — aren’t in for any respite.

For the past four years, drone strikes have battered tribal Pakistan and expanded into Yemen and Somalia. Without referring to the classified program specifically, Panetta credited them with killing al-Qaida’s “most effective leaders.” But notably, Panetta isn’t talking anymore about killing another “10 to 20 key leaders” and declaring victory in the war on terror, as he did in 2011. The “cancer” of the terrorist network has “metastasized to other parts of the global body.” Talk of the Arab Spring demolishing al-Qaida’s “narrative” has given way to fears that al-Qaida is taking advantage of the fall of regional dictators “to gain new sanctuary, incite violence, and sow instability.”


So Panetta is back to describing a sprawling global campaign “in areas beyond the reach of effective security and governance.” The likely next targets are the Boko Haram Islamic militants in Nigeria; the extremists who appear in control of much of northern Mali; and, he said, “we are concerned about Libya,” as the September Benghazi attack crystallized that the country the U.S. thought it liberated from Muammar Gadhafi last year may now be a tinderbox for “violent extremists and affiliates of al-Qaida,” to whom Panetta attributed the Benghazi attacks.

Panetta is still seeking “at least the ‘beginning of the end’” of al-Qaida — though that itself is a downgrade of the optimism he expressed last year after Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden. But there the desired future borrows heavily from the tactics of the present. Panetta wants to effectively wrap up the U.S.’ major involvement in Afghanistan by 2014, while retaining a residual force to stop al-Qaida from coming back. He wants to keep the drone-and-commando operations going in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia; and then he wants to expand the targeting to the newer, expanding al-Qaida offshoots in northern Africa, working through regional security forces when possible. In Mali, for instance, he talked about using “partners in Western Africa,” rather than direct U.S. military action.

But often, those partners are supplement to U.S. strikes, not a replacement for them. Yemeni security forces, for instance, are under U.S. patronage, but drone strikes still hit the country. What begins as U.S. assistance to foreign militaries can draw the U.S. deeper into its own operations, as Panetta effectively conceded.

If all that makes the future of counterterrorism seem a lot like the present, Panetta didn’t envision any strategy to cut off al-Qaida’s appeal once and for all. (Nor, for that matter, did he discuss the civilian toll his “precise” campaign has taken.) That’s vexed the U.S. for the past 11 years, to the point where it sponsors goodwill rap tours by American Muslim performers for want of better ideas. “We are still struggling to develop an effective approach to address the factors that attract young men and women to extremist ideologies,” Panetta conceded. Or, to borrow a phrase: Osama bin Laden is dead, but al-Qaida is very much alive.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/11/panetta-shadow-wars/

Hë•⌣•hë•⌣•Hë•⌣•hë! Drone attacks? No wonder boko don dey try to negotiate in advance

America should keep their drones to fight an impending civil war in their country, Nigeria will handle her national security issues.

yes. am so happy. bomb terrorist.

Minion: Your Painfulness! US plans to send drones to Nigeria, the BOKO-HaRAM are goners
Hades: O boy!
Minion: What is the matter My King!? Are they not liberated?!
Hades: Shuttup foolish one! What good can a lighted match do in a bucket of petrol?!
Minion: Will things really get that bad?!

Fu.c.k the USA.

* packs bags runs away from the north *

US and there wahala na wa o, May God save Nigeria

If they will hit only confirmed boko haram targets, No Problem.

they dont need drones for boko haram, that is like killing a spider with a grenade. Foot soldiers alone would erase bokoharam and it's sponsors for life.

We know want.

Una 2waste time,

I HOPE THE DRONE STRIKES WILL START FROM THE SENATE HOUSE

Redmosquito: Minion: Your Painfulness! US plans to send drones to Nigeria, the BOKO-HaRAM are goners
Hades: O boy!
Minion: What is the matter My King!? Are they not liberated?!
Hades: Shuttup foolish one! What good can a lighted match do in a bucket of petrol?!
Minion: Will things really get that bad?!

Must your replies be in this bland, dramatized form? It's becoming boring, honestly!

Abeg we dnt need them....they should leave us alone with our security issue.. Afterall GEJ has said it all 'Boko boiz ar nt terrorists.'

On top wetin? This america gan likes overstep her boundary.

If the above write up is true ( I strongly doubt it), GEJ should under no circumstances invite the US military to Nigeria.
Check all the countries they are currently involved in, and name one where there is peace.
The situation will get worse and the country can slip into civil war or more like Pakistan or Yemen.
BIG NO! to any such ill- thought and conceived ideas.
Nigeria can and will take care of her security issues.

USA should keep their drones to themselves abeg. After the sent thosr drones to libya we all have seen the condition of libya now. If they must send the drones to Nigeria then we have a very much bigger terrorist organization that has terrorised Nigeria for a long time by sihponing our money in the name of allowances and salary. The drones will be better for them first

....since President GEJ made it known in the interview that has no idea what to do about BH

Billyonaire: America should keep their drones to fight an impending civil war in their country, Nigeria will handle her national security issues.

Well said. But the USA cannot afford a civil war in its country cause all their enemys will use that opportunity to attack them, and when it comes to the option of civil war I know obama will choose the option of resigning and if he refuses to do that, do I need to tell you what's gonna happen cause the runners of america will have to remove him from there by any means than see americans fight among themselves

Nigerians are so ungrateful! U've tried to manage dis situation for almost a decade now, yet it's gettin worse. Now help has come and here u are makin hateful statements...? Haba... Is it dat we enjoy dis state of insecurity so we could always discuss it on NL...? I'm seriously tired of it...! Welcome mr drone

SimplySEA: Nigerians are so ungrateful! U've tried to manage dis situation for almost a decade now, yet it's gettin worse. Now help has come and here u are makin hateful statements...? Haba... Is it dat we enjoy dis state of insecurity so we could always discuss it on NL...? I'm seriously tired of it...! Welcome mr drone

oga,who told you it Is getting worse? When last did you hear of bomb explosion? How frequent is it as regards to before when its a daily tale?
when we needed them they didn't come, not now we are almost there.

I swear,we will never allow this to happen.. We will manage boko haram like that,they are already fading out.. US should just shut the Bleep up,mind their business and keep their evil hands off naija... Drone ko,drone ni...
US wants to escalate the issue abi.. I swear,the day drones starts flying our sskies,is the day Nigeria is finished forever cos things will never remain the same again.. Inshort it will re-harden the minds of the northerners against us and draw the attention of foreign terrorists towards naija....
Look,i am not blaming GEJ,but things are gradually crumbling under his watch.. If he cant do anything,he should honourably resign...
US drones will never fly the skies of naija,not in my life time.. We the citizens will never agree.. Never... We will go out in thousands and oppose that idea...
FUC*K USA...FUC*K USA... Fu*ck evil USA

If you can't fix your house, other ppl will try to fix your fvckups. I hope Jona is listening.

SimplySEA: Nigerians are so ungrateful! U've tried to manage dis situation for almost a decade now, yet it's gettin worse. Now help has come and here u are makin hateful statements...? Haba... Is it dat we enjoy dis state of insecurity so we could always discuss it on NL...? I'm seriously tired of it...! Welcome mr drone

Are you a devil or one of their converts. I swear we would fight only devils and we would destroy all the devils. This may well be the much dreaded racial war. You think you can confuse us with obama. Be ready to die like a devil. If you want to see christains, muslims and traditionalists working together. Invade any part of naija with your drones. F,cuki.ng devils

slap1: Must your replies be in this bland, dramatized form? It's becoming boring, honestly!

let the guy be!

s :olap1:
Must your replies be in this bland, dramatized form? It's becoming boring, honestly!

:oSeriously U̶̲̥̅̊ re a bad belle person, must everybody comment d same way..pls i like it wen ppl seem different so no kill ursef abegi.

Where on Earth is the Word JUSTICE and FREEDOM.

How dare you leave your country and continent of hundreds of thousands of mile away and want to take over another man's territory.

This is just pathetic.

Singalex:


:oSeriously U're a bad belle person, must everybody comment d same way..pls i like it wen ppl seem different so no kill ursef abegi.

I tire for the guy ooo.

Too much video game and playin of computer games. Now see d effects on USA. Trying to expand der drone games to new countries. Ok o! We r watching.

Fire for fire, blood for blood, bone for bone and bomb for bomb. Let boko haram reap the fruit of terrorism they have planted and let them face the consequence of the people they have wasted. Blood are crying and peoples have been rendered into external torment all because of their evil let them and their coming generation suffer in sorrow i support but still let the will of God be done

kcswat: yes. am so happy. bomb terrorist.

And you think is only Boko Haram the USA Done Strike will affect. I can tell you that the present of US Done Strike Operation in Nigeria will worsen the situation of things and mind you, innocent citizens are the one that will be affected most.