Drones save American lives

By James Jay Carafano, The Heritage Foundation/Statesman.com No war can be won by defense alone. There is a reason White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan recently felt confident enough to declare that al Qaeda was "on the ropes." Progress came from taking the offensive. A decade of strenuous effort to disrupt terrorist sanctuaries, take out leaders, pre-empt planning and operations, disaggregate networks, thwart terrorist travel and communications, and disrupt fundraising and recruiting is paying off.

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And, without question, the drone missile strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas have helped put al Qaeda on the defensive. Similar operations conducted in Yemen have paid dividends as well. The radical U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a leading figure in al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen, was killed Friday. The results speak for themselves. Successful terrorist attacks on U.S. targets — both at home and overseas — have been on a continual rate of decline since 2005. More...

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