.U.S. Drone Strikes Are Reported to Kill at Least 18 in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — American drone aircraft attacked at least three sites in the tribal region of South Waziristan on Monday, killing at least 18 people, according to Pakistani officials.
At least three missiles were fired at a house in the Shalam Raghzai region of South Waziristan, a semiautonomous mountainous tribal region straddling the border with Afghanistan. The second attack struck a suspected militant compound in Wacha Dana, about seven miles northwest of Wana, the main town of South Waziristan.
At least 14 people were killed in the first two attacks, officials said.
A few hours later, at least four people were killed when a drone fired at a vehicle at Darnashtra in the Shawal area of the region.
“We don’t have troops on the ground, so information is hard to verify,” said a local Pakistani Army commander in Wana. “Local residents do not necessarily provide accurate information on the number of casualties.”
“Most of those killed in the drone strikes are said to be foreigners,” he added. “Their nationalities are described to be Arabs, Uzbeks and at least one Turk.”
Details on the attacks could not be independently verified.
The drone strikes — in which American forces use unmanned, remotely guided aircraft to fire missiles at suspected members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the restive tribal areas — are very unpopular in Pakistan.
But despite protests from opposition political parties, the drones continue to be the American weapon of choice. In recent days, there has been a surge in the number of drone attacks against suspected militants in South Waziristan. On Friday night, local residents and officials said that Ilyas Kashmiri, one of the most feared Pakistani militants and a senior Al Qaeda operational commander, was killed in a drone attack in the Laman area of South Waziristan.
This was the second time Mr. Kashmiri was reported to have been killed. Pakistani officials had claimed in September 2009 that he had died in a drone strike.
NYT
At least three missiles were fired at a house in the Shalam Raghzai region of South Waziristan, a semiautonomous mountainous tribal region straddling the border with Afghanistan. The second attack struck a suspected militant compound in Wacha Dana, about seven miles northwest of Wana, the main town of South Waziristan.
At least 14 people were killed in the first two attacks, officials said.
A few hours later, at least four people were killed when a drone fired at a vehicle at Darnashtra in the Shawal area of the region.
“We don’t have troops on the ground, so information is hard to verify,” said a local Pakistani Army commander in Wana. “Local residents do not necessarily provide accurate information on the number of casualties.”
“Most of those killed in the drone strikes are said to be foreigners,” he added. “Their nationalities are described to be Arabs, Uzbeks and at least one Turk.”
Details on the attacks could not be independently verified.
The drone strikes — in which American forces use unmanned, remotely guided aircraft to fire missiles at suspected members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the restive tribal areas — are very unpopular in Pakistan.
But despite protests from opposition political parties, the drones continue to be the American weapon of choice. In recent days, there has been a surge in the number of drone attacks against suspected militants in South Waziristan. On Friday night, local residents and officials said that Ilyas Kashmiri, one of the most feared Pakistani militants and a senior Al Qaeda operational commander, was killed in a drone attack in the Laman area of South Waziristan.
This was the second time Mr. Kashmiri was reported to have been killed. Pakistani officials had claimed in September 2009 that he had died in a drone strike.
NYT
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