U.S. Creating New Enemies Where There Were None

By Leah Bolger,

... the CODEPINKdelegation to Pakistan heard directly from the victims of U.S. combat drones.

Imagine having up to 6 drones circling overhead 24 hours a day, making an incessant, constant buzzing sound that never ceases.  The sound the drones make creates a deep-seated psychological fear—a sort of emotional torture.  The lives of these people have changed completely, their culture and way of life destroyed.

Now, “After Drones (AD)” everything has changed.  Children aged 5 to 10 no longer go to school.  Men are afraid to gather in groups of more than 2 or 3. Weddings, which used to be joyous affairs with music, dancing, and drumming, are now subdued events with only close family members present.  And most sadly, since funerals have been the target of drone attacks, they are now small gatherings as well.

Noor Beharam, has risked his life repeatedly to try to document the deaths of women and especially children.  He believes that 670 women have been killed by drone strikes, and has taken photos of more than 100 children.  Their bodies are often unrecognizable as human after the strikes. 

The Waziris are now raising a generation of children with psychological and emotional scars without an education.  The use of Xanax is startling high, and suicide, which is a societal and religious taboo, is shocking.  Seventeen Waziris have killed themselves due to the emotional terror of the U.S. drone program.  This is something that is unheard of in this culture.  Families are becoming displaced and moving to more urban areas in an attempt to avoid popular “strike areas.”  

The U.S. government has created enemies where there were none.  We have been told repeatedly about the concept of revenge, which is a dominant social force in Waziristan.  The children of this region will remember what we have done to them, and their children, and their children.  

We have also been told repeatedly that the only way to possibly stop this spiral is to stop the drones.  Just stop.  These people will not accept monetary compensation even if it were offered, which it isn’t.  They don’t want an apology, which they view as insincere.  They just want us to stop the drones, so they can return to their “Before Drones” lives.

Via: "Alter-Net"