Taliban fighters are cowardly hiding behind children once again, this time demanding that the United States stop its recent US drone strikes. The terrorist organization says it has banned polio vaccines in North Waziristan until the strikes have ended.
In a statement released on Monday the group noted:
“Almost every resident of North Waziristan has become a mental patient because of the drone strikes, which are worse than polio. On one hand, the US spends millions of dollars to eliminate polio, while on the other hand it kills hundreds with the help of its slave, Pakistan.”
Pakistan is one of just three countries that has yet to eradicate polio. In fact at one point the Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA locate bin Laden tried to use a door-to-door vaccination campaign to find the DNA of bin Laden’s children, an attempt that ultimately failed. Pakistan’s health officials said that CIA operation ultimately undermined the countries polio program, a claim the United States government denies. Officials in Pakistan in the meantime do not point any blame at the polio denying Taliban forces.
The United States will likely not end its airstrikes in North Waziristan, that region is believed to be the main safe haven for the Haqqani network and several other militant groups responsible for the insurgency in Afghanistan. The region is also believed to be the control center for Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur.
In April 2012 the United States admitted using US Drones to conduct “targeted strikes” against known Al-Qaeda locations throughout North Waziristan.
