US Pinpoints New Drone Targets in Pakistan

As the US reviews its controversial air strike program in Pakistan, US and Pakistani intelligence officials are adding new targets to its list, the Wall Street Journal reports. Pakistani officials hope that expanding the drone program to target extremists will win them public support; at the same time, the Obama administration is weighing the program’s success against its risk of stoking public anger and weakening the government.

The balance is complicated by the US belief that Pakistan’s leading intelligence agency is backing the Taliban in Afghanistan while the US takes on the group. The review won’t likely shrink the program much, but its “pace and size” could be altered through tech improvements that allow for faster attacks, the Journal notes. The drone review is part of a large-scale review of US policy in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which could be announced tomorrow.
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