US drone strikes slowly but surely breaking Pak Taliban's back: Expert

Washington, Sep.17 (ANI): Experts believe that the US drones have successfully targeted Al-Qaeda and Taliban hideouts in Pakistan killing several top and most wanted extremist commanders.

Analysts believe that elimination of tier two extremist leaders was very significant, as it has broken the back of the terror organization, and it would be hard for them to fill the gap.

"Targeting middle-level officers is important because when you do kill the senior commanders, there's no one to fill their shoes," said Bruce Hoffman, a Georgetown University based professor who specializes in terrorism.

With a change in the White House administration, CIA drone attacks in Pakistan also intensified. Tehreek-e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud, who was believed to have masterminded former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination, was also killed in a missile hit carried out by the unmanned aircrafts last month.

According to the Long War Journal, America has launched 74 drone-missile attacks since August 2008, out of which 38 were launched this year alone.

A top US intelligence official has also touted the success of intelligence operations against Al Qaeda and other extremist groups, that had enabled aggressive pursuit of the terrorists.

"What has really made all the nations safer has been the accumulation of knowledge about Al Qaeda and its affiliate groups, which enables us to be more aggressive in expanding that knowledge and stopping things before they happen, : The Wall Street Journal quoted Dennis Blair, Director of National Intelligence, as saying. (ANI)