Seven killed in Mir Ali drone hit

The drone strike killed at least seven persons, including a key militant commander, sources said.

PESHAWAR: A US drone strike in Mir Ali subdivision of North Waziristan on Saturday night killed at least seven persons, including a key militant commander, sources said.

Tribal sources told The Express Tribune that the attack, which occurred at around 9 pm, targeted a local tribesmen hujra in Essuri village of Mir Ali subdivision, some 25 kilometres east of agency headquarters Miranshah.

A US drone fired two missiles at the house, which resulted in the death of seven persons, while there was no news about injuries, a source from the region told The Express Tribune.

The source said that a senior Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander Amir Movia was also among the dead. Moreover, while there was no confirmation of any foreign elements’ presence in the house, sources did not rule out their presence.

This was first drone strike inside Pakistan since devastating floods ravaged large swaths of territory across the country.

US drone strike against militant targets inside Pakistan has increased during the current year and the attacks have particularly targeted the North Waziristan. Earlier this year, al Qaeda number three Abu Mustapha al Yazid was also killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2010.