Brandeis University’s Micah Zenko has an interesting op-ed in The Boston Globe looking at the stepped-up use of missile strikes against Al Qaeda targets in
“„From a purely military perspective, the Predator surge has largely succeeded in tracking and killing high-value terrorist suspects. In the last year or so, Pentagon and CIA operatives have cultivated a better network of informants on the ground, received greater cooperation from the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence, and, most important, used a nearly seamless combination of new operational techniques and surveillance equipment on the Predator. [emphasis mine]
“„Analysts are now suggesting that the drone strikes may be pushing the Taliban, and even some Qaeda elements, out of the tribal belt and into Swat, making the valley more important to the Taliban.