02 March 2010

Uygher Terrorist leader dead

Apparently, the US used a drone strike to kill one of the leaders of a Uyghur separatist/terrorist group a few weeks ago.

While I have no fuzzy feelings for terrorists, and am generally ok with the (limited, targeted, careful) use of drones, I was feeling pretty confused by this one. Was this guy somehow supplying AQ and the Taliban? Was he recruiting Uyghurs to join them?

Apparently, he was the leader of "Al-Qaeda in China". A group with a track record of zero and not remotely dedicated to the destruction of US interests.

There is nothing to state why he, above various real Taliban/AQ figures, should be a target. The Chinese government has long wanted him dead, but that shouldn't be enough reason for the US to go after him. Every drone strike is expensive, not in dollars, but in goodwill and on-ground assistance.

This leads to more questions. Did Pakistan want him dead? China has been pressuring Pakistan to deal with him, apparently. Was this part of some kind of deal with China? Or just a gesture of faith and solidarity? I would really like the reasoning behind this particular strike.

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