This has been going on for some time, but for Panetta to now be talking about this more candidly suggests that the Pentagon is more rapidly losing patience with the Pakistanis than before. In a speech to US troops in Kabul, Panetta said that America is fighting its war on terror in the Pakistani FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Area), because Pakistan refuses to police the zone for internal political reasons. Given that Pakistan has barred NATO transportation of troops and supplies through their territory, there is little need to have Pakistani support, but how much further can either side hope to push things without a US-Pakistan war of some sort?

http://rt.com/usa/news/panetta-pakistan-war-safe-307/

I won't feel sad for any damages or casualties sustained whilst illegaly inside of Pakistans borders.

US defence had the worst E3 tbh

Pakistan ain't no Middle East, sucka.

Are you kidding?

They totally dropped the bomb.

ohhh SNAP

Hasn't this been going on for a while? US "invading" Pakistani space.

I seriously doubt anything will come of it. Pakistan will keep complaining (as they should) as long as all activity is in that tribal area and the US will ignore them.

The total insult to Pakistan was for the US to go into the heart of their country to take out bin laden and nothing came of that.
What other nuclear armed country would have taken that without retaliation? Which leads me to think that they are all probably in secret talks.

US is losing its patience? I think the whole world is losing its patience for the US.

But they have an army of experienced US Soldiers trained through Call of Duty and already trained for future warfare with Halo!!!!!
You have to take the USA seriously!!

I don't think it's a case of Pakistan refusing to police the FATA. It's because they can't unless they commit huge resources to that part of the country which would mean less money for trying to keep up with the Indian military. Pakistan is a young nation and it's borders, like so many other ex European colonies wasn't really thought through. The ethnic make up of the FATA is mostly Pashtun, the same ethnic group that make up the majority of the Taliban.

The tribes of the FATA are fiercely independent and throughout it's short history the Pakistani Government has pretty much kept it at arms length. Pakistan has lost a lot of soldiers fighting America's so called War On Terror and I guess some time ago they came to the conclusion the war is unwinnable so have pretty much backed off.

Funny thing is though the drones that violate Pakistans sovereignty are probably flying out from airbases leased by the CIA from the Pakistani airforce. There's an obvious delicate political balance being played out here. So while Pakistan would like the drone attacks to stop they do understand if they ask the CIA to get out then aid would stop and the US would be really really furious.

I do find it odd that Panetta said US sovereignty had been violated due to 9/11 and so gives them the right to launch unilateral drone attacks. That's quite a silly thing to say and one that could easily back fire. It's kind of like Cuba saying their sovereignty had been violated because one of their passenger jets had been blown up by anti-Castro terrorists who now reside in Florida so Cuba has the right to launch unilateral drone strikes in the US.