Up to 40 Pakistani Civilians Killed in U.S. Drone Strike
The CIA has carried out one of its deadliest drone attack on civilians in Pakistan to date. Up to to 40 people were killed Thursday after missiles struck a public meeting, or jirga, in North Waziristan. The victims had assembled to resolve a dispute with the Taliban over a local mine. In a statement, the head of the Pakistani military issued a rare condemnation of the United States, saying "peaceful citizens, including elders of the area, were carelessly and callously targeted with complete disregard to human life." The United States is maintaining all victims were militants. A U.S. official told the New York Times, "These people weren’t gathering for a bake sale. They were terrorists."
Pakistanis Protest Release of CIA Agent
The strike came as protesters rallied in several Pakistani cities against the release of a CIA contractor and former Blackwater operative accused of fatally shooting two men. Raymond Davis was freed after the victims’ relatives accepted a $2.3 million financial settlement under reported Pakistani government pressure.
Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is expected to land in Haiti today after seven years in exile. On Thursday, Aristide and his family left South Africa, where he has taken refuge since being overthrown in a U.S.-backed coup in 2004. Shortly before his departure, Aristide thanked his South African hosts.
Aristide’s return comes two days before Haiti is to hold a presidential runoff vote. He is widely considered to remain Haiti’s most popular politician.
The Republican-controlled House has voted to cut off funding for National Public Radio. It is the second vote targeting NPR to pass the House in the last month, but the measure is expected to stall in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The Senate, meanwhile, has approved a short-term spending bill to fund the government through April 8.
The Pentagon is developing software to secretly influence social media by developing fake online personas that can sway internet chatting on comment boards to reflect U.S. government propaganda. The Guardian of London reports a California-based firm has won a contract to create an "online persona management service" that would let military personnel control up to 10 separate fake identities at once. The identities would be used to respond to relevant online content with blog posts, tweets, chat comments and other forms of interaction. A military spokesperson said foreign audiences would be targeted, as it would be illegal to use the technology on U.S. citizens.
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