US drones providing surveillance

NEW YORK - Secret US drone flights are providing surveillance data to Pakistani military in its campaign against Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing US officials.
The flights over Pakistans tribal regions have resumed to get video feeds and communication intercepts on the insurgents, the newspaper reported, quoting US and Pakistani officials.
They are different from the drone flights the Central Intelligence Agency has operated in recent months to hit militant hideouts, the report said.
The administration of US President Barack Obama is rushing items like transport helicopters and body armour sought by the Pakistani military as it gets ready for the assault on Mehsuds stronghold in South Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan, the report said.
The drone flights will help meet Pakistans requests for sophisticated surveillance data without giving its military such Predator drones as reportedly sought by President Asif Ali Zardari.
There has been a lot of improvement in ISR-related US support to Pakistan, a senior Pakistani security official was quoted as saying.
ISR refers to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Some of the technical connections still need to be worked out, he said.