President Musharraf has given America the right to launch a predator drone strike in the Tribal Regions without notifying the Pakistani government.
The Daily Times reported:
Pakistan has given America the right to launch an immediate predator drone strike on Osama Bin Laden if he is located in the Tribal Areas, without first notifying Islamabad, The Washington Times reported on Wednesday.
President Pervez Musharraf granted this exception to other limits on United States counter-terrorism operations in Pakistan ‘early’ in the war against Al Qaeda, launched in Afghanistan in October 2001, the Times said, citing “a knowledgeable official”.
Islamabad does not allow US military ground forces on its soil, limiting the US presence in Pakistan to ‘scores’ of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and paramilitary operatives, the Times noted, even though the Al Qaeda chief is widely thought to be holed up in the Tribal Areas.
But military officials believe that if Bin Laden’s exact location were determined, a missile-equipped predator drone could be airborne or redirected in flight “in a matter of minutes”.
