White House Press Secretary Jay Carney speaks to reporters in the briefing room of the White House in Washington May 29, 2013. PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday refused to confirm that it killed the number two in the Pakistani Taliban, despite President Barack Obama's promise of more transparency on the drone war.
The killing of Waliur Rehman, deputy leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was the first known US drone strike since Obama's speech last week laying out new criteria for the covert use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
His death was the first test of whether US authorities would provide more transparency on drone operations by the CIA or the military after Obama's pledge of greater accountability over the use of such attacks.
"We are not in a position to confirm the reports of Waliur Rehman's death," White House spokesperson Jay Carney said, following an attack in which the TTP number two and at least five others were killed.
"If those reports were true, or prove to be true, it's worth noting that his demise would deprive the TTP of its second-in-command and chief military strategist." Carney said.
Carney said Rehman was also wanted in connection with attacks on US and Nato personnel in Afghanistan and for involvement in the attack on American citizens in Khost, Afghanistan on December 30, 2009.
That strike, though Carney did not describe it in detail, was a dark day in CIA history, when seven counter-terrorism agents and security contractors were killed in a suicide bombing in a remote outpost.
Carney would not confirm whether the attack on Rehman satisfied the new criteria for drone strikes established by Obama last week during a speech that aimed to recast the country's decade-long battle against terrorism.
In the speech, Obama said that lethal force would only be used to "prevent or stop attacks against US persons," when capture is not feasible and if a target poses a "continuing, imminent threat" to Americans.
But Carney pointed out a clause in Obama's speech in which he said that in the "Afghan war theater" Washington must support its troops until the Nato withdrawal is complete in 2014.
The president said that strikes would continue against "high value al Qaeda targets, but also against forces that are massing to support attacks on coalition forces."
A CIA spokesperson also declined to confirm Rehman's death.
Security, tribal and intelligence officials told AFP in Pakistan that Rehman, who had a $5 million US government bounty on his head, was the target of the strike in North Waziristan and was killed.
Pakistani government condemns drone strike
The Pakistani government "expressed serious concerns" over the US drone strike that killed Waliur Rehman on Wednesday, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Pakistan has maintained its stance that US drone strikes are counter-productive, result in the loss of innocent lives and violate Pakistani sovereignty.
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@numbersnumbers: Re: OBL, so his wives were there. How does that prove that OBL himself was there? Haven't you seen the thousand contradictions in the story the Americans have given of how that operation progressed? So that's right, you have NO EVIDENCE that OBL was there. Re: knowing the identities, with that argument you are justifying the unjustifiable. The Americans consistently claim that the drones pick off targets after pinpointing them specifically as threats to American security, this has no comparison with a regular operation involving live soldiers. You obviously haven't read the massive coverage of the issue that the US has NO idea who it is killing with its drones. Dear Express Tribune, please do post this response of mine, it is my humble request to you.
@numbersnumbers: How do you claim to know what OBL's wives said? No report has ever been released to the public by either Pakistan or the US about what they have said. The commission investigating this incident could not produce a genuine report because no American showed up to be interviewed by it. The actual fact was supposed to come from the Americans and they have provided none. They claim to have taken away large numbers of documents from the compound but no evidence came out of there either. Moreover, not only Hillary Clinton but also the commanding officer of the SEALs has said there is "absolutely no evidence" Pakistan knew OBL was there. The SEALs that took part in that operation have been getting killed off in mysterious freak accidents and the US constantly changed its story of how the operation was carried out.
In spite of all that you are capable of believing without any evidence that OBL was there.
@Pratt: Wow, "no evidence that OBL was located in some compound in Pakistan" EXCEPT for the presence of his wives and extended family (all interviewed at length by various Pakistani agencies, during which they confirmed he was there)! As for your Drone "knowing the identities" issue, how many times in history has any soldier ever known just who he was shooting at in combat???
@Ricky and @Saleem: There is absolutely no evidence that OBL was ever located in some compound in Pakistan, absolutely none; it was all a hoax cooked up by the country that lied about Iraq's WMDs and Raymond Davis' diplomatic status. Moreover, the OBL thing has absolutely no relevance to the issue of the drone attacks, especially since it has been extensively reported that the CIA and its drone operators often do not even know the identities of the people they zap in each drone attack. Do not turn this into another comic about a superhero rescuing innocent helpless victims.
@Lala Gee----- America is no ones friend and it has been proved so many times in the past.. The main reason behind Pakistan terrorism is USA.. if they leave Afghanistan today, everything will be sound tomorrow.. If you are Indian then it doesn't matter to you..
If the Pakistani government/army did their job properly there would be no need for drone attacks. Remember Abottabad and OBL.
Great to see that the US has not given up on the victims of these terrorists. The killers should meet justice one way or the other. The US should give all the explaination to the world and Pakistan only after Pakistan provides the truth and explains the presence of OBL in our army base for 7 long years.
For the CIA operated Predator system to work effectively identification of targets is required by someone present on the ground near the target. The drone system has been operating for a number of years now over the FATA region, obviously with the active co-operation of the Pak Army. Either the Army agents present on the ground are identifying the targets for the drones or else Pakistani citizens employed by CIA are living among the locals. Either way the drones are not operating independently without the consent of the Pak Army and the Government. The death and destruction the US drone attacks have caused is having repercussion all across the nation. The Army cannot convince the nation that it is not involved in the drone war. On the one hand the Government is protesting against the attacks claiming violation of its sovereignty while the Army is cooperating with CIA. This doublespeak will eventually backfire and the nation will have to pay a price. The Army will have to reconsider its position. It should develop its own drone system, not a very complex system to develop, and operate it perhaps with the help of US experts.
Good work. Now finish the rest of TTP.