Drone attack: US strikes kill 10 militants in S Waziristan

WANA:

Missile strikes by suspected US drone aircraft killed 10 militants in South Waziristan on Wednesday, intelligence officials said, in an operation bound to deepen tensions in the region.

Intelligence officials and residents said two missiles hit a compound belonging to a group headed by Maulvi Nazir that crosses the Afghan border to attack US troops in Afghanistan.

“There was a huge blast and we can see smoke rising from the compound,” said a witness in Wana, South Waziristan’s main town.

Seven militants were killed in the compound, a local intelligence official said. Missiles targeted a vehicle used by militants in the same area, killing three.

There was no way to independently verify the incident.

Militants often dismiss official death tolls. South Waziristan has witnessed an escalation of drone strikes this month, including in areas controlled by Nazir.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2011.