Strategy for Iraq, Pakistan flawed

The drone attacks against Pakistan must be stopped. The reason lies deep in the culture of the Mid East. For every innocent maiming and death these attacks cause, vows of eternal hatred and revenge against the U.S. are born in every father, mother, bother, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin and, indeed, the whole of the victim's tribe.

Drone attacks encourage recruitment for our terrorist enemies arrayed against us and thus weaken our strategic security. No matter how precise our targeting, the continued use of drones causes immolation and death to innocent people.

Drone attacks are highly unpopular within Pakistan with the general public and have never been officially or openly approved by a government fearful of doing so lest it lose control of its own population. Indeed, the air attacks by the Pakistani military against the Taliban and al-Qaida in the Swat Valley and North and South Waziristan have already resulted in an enormous widespread refugee crisis within Pakistan itself. How long do you think the Pakistani people will tolerate these conditions - conventional bombings from their own forces, drones from ours?

Our whole strategy for Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan is in need of serious reassessment. Officers in charge regarding the offensive in Afghanistan unleashed July 2, openly admit, as they launch, the number of our troops they have are insufficient to hold the ground for long. It is a rush to failure on our part as we repeat the mistakes of Iraq. And what happened to that Obama campaign promise to withdraw a battalion a month from Iraq?

American troops have no business on the Asiatic mainland. Strategically it's suicide. There's simply too much holdover from the Bush administration. Our military actions continue to undermine the President's calls for good will and America's need for it.

Marion J. Reis

Wheaton