Stoppoing US drone attacks would be a sign of weakness - Expert

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The United States is planning to transform airbases in Central Asia to perform drone attacks in Pakistan. The US claimed that their main goal is Al-Qaeda destruction, but the total number of civilians killed is already about 2.500. The Voice of Russia talked to military extpert and political analyst Muhammad Aslam Khan.

Why does the US perceive its drones as an effective military solution?

It is very economical. It is a question of saving a lot of effort implementing drones for attacking each target. Another aspect is that America is pulling out from Afghanistan and most of the Western press is labeling it as a departure of the troops. But actually, the situation on the ground dictates that this should rather be called a hasty withdrawal, if not a retreat. America wants to save its face, particularly in the domestic politics, because after an over a decade battle against the Afghan Taliban there hasn’t been any clear success.
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Why is it important for the US to involve Central Asian countries in the process?

I think the whole world knows and American planners also know that once they pull out their forces from Afghanistan, the situation is not going to be very peaceful. It predictably depends on the Afghan Taliban behavior, whether they are in a position to reconcile their differences with other factions. But then, the history of Afghanistan shows that once they are not fighting the foreigners, they fight among themselves.

The US forces absent from Afghanistan, it is going to create a lot of trouble with the Afghan National Army. They claim at the moment that perhaps they will be able to control the situation. But I think in the vicinity they could attempt to secure certain bases in Uzbekistan and in Tajikistan, because the drones are a very effective mean to stay present. It is not a winning factor, but at least their presence is marked.

The common perception in the West is that the Central Asian republics also face a certain degree of terrorist threat. So, there is a common platform that under this plea, possibly, the US would try to keep their presence on the periphery of Afghanistan, so that they could give some kind of support – military, as well as moral to the Afghan National Army.

The US primary goals is said to be Al-Quaeda high ranks destruction. Why do a lot of civilians suffer during such operations?

That is true, there has been a lot of collateral damage, particularly in the initial phases. Gradually, because of the public uproar in the Western countries, that made America rethink their strategy. They did not stop the drone attacks, because that would have been taken as sign of weakness, but they did refine their strategy and the technology also, to get the real time intelligence.