- RSS
- Today's Paper
- Subscribe
- beta 2.1
Alerts
US drone campaign: Fresh surge in missile strikes kills 26 in Waziristan
Alleged militants targeted believed to be from the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.
The drone fired four missiles on a double cabin van carrying six people. PHOTO: AFP
PESHAWAR:
Two US drone strikes killed at least 26 people in the South Waziristan Agency on Monday, The Express Tribune learnt.
Pakistani intelligence officials said the suspected drone fired four missiles on a double cabin van in Kung Ghalai area of Bermal tehsil. The alleged militants killed and injured in the attack are believed to be from the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.
The area where the attack took place is two kilometres away from the Pak-Afghan border, close to the Shawal area of North Waziristan, about 29 kilometres north of agency headquarters Wana.
The second strike came later at night on Monday in the Mantoi area of South Waziristan, targeting two houses and killing 14 people.
Drone attacks have surged in the South Waziristan Agency in June, making the attack the sixth of the month, while North Waziristan which bore the brunt of most of the drone attacks last year, reported a single incident of drone strikes in June.
An attack carried out earlier this month reportedly killed al Qaeda ‘kingpin’ and 313 Brigade chief Ilyas Kashmiri in South Waziristan.
“The Americans are trying to infuse fear among militants about moving out to other areas,” security analyst and former ISI Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief Brigadier Asad Munir said. Munir added that drones had already restricted militant “movements” in North Waziristan and militants had started infiltrating the Kurram and South Waziristan Agencies out of necessity.
Munir also believed that drone attacks were being carried out in the Wazir area of South Waziristan – a reference to the Waziri Taliban, loyal to Mullah Nazir, believed to be a pro-government militant.
With Additional input from agencies
Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2011.
Reader Comments (24)
KP & FATA Latest Stories
Great Expectations: Residents of Swat harbour high hopes
Locals had criticised previous governments for awarding ministries to the wrong people.
Representation wanted: Hazara pushes for stake in federal, provincial cabinets
Several candidates from the region are in the running.
Class IV employees: Sons of retired workers appointed at LRH
LRH chief executive said sons of former employees have a right to be recruited in the hospital on priority basis.
Giving deadlines: NADRA employees threaten to hold strike in Islamabad
Demand reinstatement of employees sacked over protests.
Declining narrative: Scorching weather, deteriorating conditions plague Jalozai camp
IDPs face prolonged power outages, health risks, and lack of cool drinking water.
Expressing reservations: Executive clerical staff of PESCO boycotts CBA elections
Say they will not participate unless assured of solutions to their issues.
Unprovoked violence: Cleric gunned down inside Dargai mosque
Habibullah’s body was shifted to Civil Hospital Dargai for an autopsy.
Who’s responsible?: PPP takes stock of electoral defeat in K-P
Source claims Anwar Saifullah accepted defeat without taking party members into confidence.
Down but not out: ANP to contest by-elections from all PK, NA seats
Party’s provincial cabinet says it will not step back for rivals.
Peace matters: For families of victims, hope and skepticism go hand in hand
Some still consider dialogue with militants a viable option.
Recent Slideshows
More in KP & FATA
TTP’s suicide-bomb trainer killed in Miranshah
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed or derived from.
Unless otherwise stated, all content is copyrighted © 2013 The Express Tribune News Network.
Technical feedback? [email protected]
Sorry for double cabin.Recommend
People in the local area are probably celebrating the killing of these barbarians. Contrary to popular belief, the people who actually live in FATA love the drone strikes because they prevent the terrorists from ruining the lives of the locals. Only the terrorist sympathizing masses scream “don’t kill innocents” when they have no idea that these people are not innocent in any way.
Thank you USA Recommend
USA says they are terrorists killed,nobody needs to verify if they were civilians or militants killed, lets just believe them because we are USA slaves.Recommend
The grant in dollars from US made us ZAMEER FAROOSH and we are selling blood of our people by letting them killed in drones in the name of terrorism. The army is paid from the money of people of Paksitan WHAT THEY ARE DOING? ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO SAVE US OR LET US KILLED? No wonder! this is an ISLAMIC JAMHURIYA OF PAKSITAN!!!!!!Recommend
@Jameel – rather than being angry at your army for not stopping drone attacks — I would suggest you direct your anger at your army for allowing militants to control Waziristan(s). Recommend
The question is does Pak army control Waziristan ?
If the answer is no, then is Waziristan functionally a part of Pakistan ?Recommend
Is this anymore really newsworthy item!!!! This is going to be the norm!!!! For long time to come!! Until as such time that Pakistan can actually act to eradicate the problem!!!!!!
Which sadly they are incapable of dealing with!!!Recommend
Its very interesting , how “intelligence” officials have such detailed figures regarding the causalities and there identities so soon after a drone strike. Maybe our media should go on the ground and get some footage and independent verification, or is it still haunted by the ghost of Hayatullah?..Recommend
Drones are directly sent from heaven to accomplish Hakimullah Mehsud and Co dreams and last wish to dance with 72 sheela and munni virgins…what if they found sheela and munni non-virgin..they would be really p*ed..:D Recommend
Official bird of pakistan strikes again. Where is imran khan now? No dharna?Recommend
Get rid of all terrorist.They are harming the country,the economy,the investment climate.Recommend
“The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do.”
– Samuel P. HuntingtonRecommend
@Hedgefunder: Thanks for being open and honest, I agree with you and appreciate that.
America’s message to terrorists is, love you long time.
And naive people thought that the US is running away defeated.
regards,
MirzaRecommend
@Babloo:
does America control down town Detroit ? or the arizona american border ? ….loosing control of an areas does not mean it is not yoursRecommend
as long as they are targeting militants then these strikes are productive. Our army should also crackdown militants in the FATA region as the area is flooded with terrorists.Recommend
The Americans are eliminating these monsters with clinical precesion but why the Pak military is not taking any ground action against them ?Recommend
It’s funny how people supporting these drones , forget the number of civilians not only in Paksitan but all around the world have been killed by the US.they have killed more innocent people than the terrorists i bet u. And they also forget the number killing of killings in karachi also and they are not the militants who are doing this karachi. Recommend
RS Johar
Many of these ‘monsters’ are six year old girls. So much for ‘clinical precision’. The Pakistan-US relationship has turned into a horrifying nightmare for Pakistan. We should have seen the signals when they turned on us after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan. Thanks to Musharraf Pakistan is going through the darkest period in its history.Recommend
@Mo…What makes you think that down town Detroit and Arizona border is not controlled by the US?
And yes, losing control of an area for a long time does mean lack of sovereignty on that part. Recommend
Few facts
1, Is waziristan part of Pakistana and is equally important as Kashmir is???
1,1 Why there is no JIHAD in waziristan to liberate it from barbarians or Drones??
2, Absence of actions from Pakistanin Army is being filled by the Drones;
3, Is army hand in gloves?
4, Is Pakistan Government and army on right path or are they still trying 60 year old technique of fooling its people!!!!
Will some Pakistani friends anser these wuestions without emotions!!!Recommend
Drone will operate from SW to NW in support of the force present on the ground .Recommend
@ Frank – please stop being delusional. There may be an occasional 6-year old girl killed because some terrorist is using his daughter or someone else’s daughter as a shield against drone strikes. That’s unacceptable and a terrible thing to put a child in harm’s way but we know these barbarians are okay with brainwashing children and letting them die.
STOP DEFENDING TERRORISTS. It’s black and white. Terrorists are BAD. There are no good terrorists of any religion or ethnicity in the world. People who use violent, anti-democratic means are BAD.
Please for the sake of Pakistan stop being delusional. Drone strikes do the job the military does not have the will power or courage to do. Recommend
@NJ:
As a Pakistani I can take a crack at some of your questions.
Is Waziristan part of Pakistan and is equally important as Kashmir is? Yes and yes. The only difference is Waziristan is already in Jihadist control, and Kashmir is not.
Why there is no JIHAD in Waziristan to liberate it from barbarians or Drones? It is already in Jihadist control. Current Waziristan exemplifies what would be liberated Kashmir like, once it is in our control.
Is Pakistan Government and army on right path or are they still trying 60 year old technique of fooling its people!!!! They never are on the wrong path. They are done with fooling Pakistanis, now they are fooling themselves.
The other questions are rhetorical, and do not need my answers. Recommend
stop this game of blood
Recommend