- RSS
- Today's Paper
- Subscribe
- beta 2.1
Alerts
Sovereignty mantra aside: US drones hit militant compound in North Waziristan
Conflicting reports about the number of casualties.
Drone fires six missiles at a house in Datta Khel district. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
DI KHAN / MIRAMSHAH:
In a first strike since the reopening of Nato transit routes by Pakistan, US pilot-less aircraft hit targets in the North Waziristan tribal agency on Friday, killing several suspected militants.
The latest attack is in clear defiance of a Pakistani parliamentary resolution which called for an end to drone strikes and a public apology from US for the unblocking of the ground lines of communication for Nato troops.
Last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said ‘sorry’ to Pakistan over the deaths of over two dozen Pakistani troops in a Nato air raid in the Salala area of Mohmand Agency last year. Drone strikes, however, remain a bone of contention between the two countries.
Three remotely-piloted US aircraft fired a total of six missiles on a compound belonging to a group of militants, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, in the Zawai Sedgai area, about 60 kilometres west of Miramshah, in Datta Khel Tehsil, an official told The Express Tribune.
The first strike killed nine militants, three more were killed in a second attack when militants drove to the site to recover bodies, and a third drone killed three more five minutes later, a Peshawar-based senior security official told AFP.
The official who spoke to The Express Tribune said that at least 15 suspected militants were killed in these strikes. Local sources, however, put the number of dead militants at 21.
Officials said the drone struck when the militants had gathered to send fighters to Afghanistan.
Datta Khel is considered to be a stronghold of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a direct descendent of the legendry fighter from Waziristan Faqir of Ipi.
Gul Bahadur is said to have close links with the Haqqani network, the deadly Taliban group which the US blames for most attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan.
Last month, Hafiz Gul Bahadur banned polio vaccination in North Waziristan saying that his group would not allow vaccination drives until the US called off the drone campaign.
His associate in the neighbouring South Waziristan, Maulvi Nazir, has also followed suit and banned polio vaccination in the region under his control.
(ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM AGENCIES)
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2012.
Read more:
droneattack
Reader Comments (20)
Pakistan Latest Stories
Presidential approval: Zardari calls to congratulate Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz had earlier pointed out that President Zardari had not congratulated him on his party's success.
Deadly fertiliser: Kayani proposes forum to counter IED threats
Says Pakistan has come a long way in its efforts to counter threats posed by homemade explosives.
Grenade attack near ANP member's house injures two
Nearby shops have also suffered damage; ANP member is unhurt.
SHC asks ECP to freeze Naushahro Feroze delimitation records
The records, if not sealed can be tampered with, says petitioner.
No harm in talking to Taliban: Nawaz Sharif
Says we have accepted everyone's mandate with an open mind.
President felicitates first Pakistani woman to scale Mount Everest
President expressed confidence that the young Samina Baig will be followed as role model by women of the country.
ECP asks NADRA to help verify voters' thumbprints
NADRA to improve system in two weeks time to match huge number of thumbprints with its database.
To curb load shedding, caretaker PM orders release of Rs22 billion
According to recent data, the power shortfall has crossed 6,500 megawatts.
Samiulla's story: I heard a bomb blast...
In 2009, Samiulla had to give up his dream of going to school.
6 independent candidates from FATA join PML-N
Independent candidates also met PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif.
Recent Slideshows
More in Pakistan
Healthcare crisis: Punjab medics call off strike – partially
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]
No polio vaccination until no drones. Who loses, shall we have drones as well as polio!!! Our revered religious fanatics mind doesn’t go beyond this.
Recommend
“The latest attack is in clear defiance of a Pakistani parliamentary resolution which called for an end to drone strike -”
The problem is that under UNSCR 1373 Pakistan has the binding sovereign obligation to eliminate terrorists from its territory. No action to do so means no sovereignty claim is legally binding when other nations take actions against terrorists instead.
Recommend
I suppose this is the exclamation point at the end of the Pakistan/USA negotiation deal?
Recommend
On a daily basis our sovereignty is nakedly transgressed and too many are butchered beyond recognition. will apex court will show the courage to call Govt and Army to explain what is going on behind the scenes ? we are spending major chunk for our external security but can not protect Kakul. so what use spending huge some of money if we are dormant when they strike at will and escape. Is there some hidden game being played with |Pakistan and its people who have no word to day in this democracy and are made to run for a bucket of water, our need is water and power and not nuclear arsenal. we can not survive even as animals
without water what to talk of humans
Recommend
“The latest attack is in clear defiance of a Pakistani parliamentary resolution which called for an end to drone strike -”
Well the agreement to open the GLOC was silent about the drones. It is your negotiating team that could not get this issue agreed by US. The US will follow what they agreed o to nothing else.
Recommend
@Solomon2:
Does any UN resolution apply to NATO and the US’s willful handing over of Afghan territory to the TTP?
Recommend
Ahhh the perfect return gift from THANKLESS AMERICA…. We gifted NATO supply on their Independence day and they have slapped on our face and will say DO MORE… Kudos !
Recommend
Shame on ET for saying that conflicting number of casualties are reported……..Drone once attacked and when people were providing help to those injured a second attack took place………..
May Allah distribute the sin of these killings equally among all those supporting this crime
Recommend
Long live drones & USA
Recommend
There is one law which holds good; might is right. Human rights, civilization, democracy lectures and all that stuff coming from westerners is all crap. Americans will also be at the receiving end of the things some day, even if it comes hundred years ago but the seeds they are sowing today, they’ll be the ones reaping!
Recommend
Well these polio vaccinations aren’t as good as people want them to seem.
The oral drops have been banned in the US but are still administred to Pakistani, Indian and Nigerian kids. Many kids have been paralyzed by them (the drops themselves) and living strains of polio are now in the drinking water of many big cities. And though 3 doses of drops are the recommended the kids here get the dose over and over, and thus being giving ‘stunned’ but living viruses over and over again….
See for ref.:
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article3497489.ece
And even better with a focus on pakistans issue:
http://greenheritagenews.com/whos-polio-vaccine-causing-polio-in-children/
Recommend
I really recommend everyone to read the second article and forward it to influential people, its our kids they are talking about in these statistics:
the Polio Global Eradication Initiative’s own statistics, informing that up to 180 vaccinated children in India fall a prey to VAPP each year. This stands at a hair-raising incidence 3 to 4 times higher than polio caused by the wild polio virus. The medicine seems deadlier than the disease itself. Or to say, the medicine is the disease.
In Pakistan too, the threat of polio vaccine is not going entirely unreported. Last month, Anthony Gucciardi revealed in his article, published in Natural Society, that close to 80% of recent polio cases are reported among children who had been vaccinated for polio. This is a shockingly high figure: of 136 polio cases, 107 were those vaccinated for the disease.
Recommend
Reading comments here I reach the conclusion that Drones Spread Polio.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Recommend
First Acknowledgment Of Nato Gift From Uncle.
Recommend
Polio eradication is entirely a different issue which must continue under all circumstances. It is quite obvious that an arrogant super power like US will never abandon drone attacks even if hundreds of innocent people are killed in the process. It will be prudent for Pakistan to show patience and wait for an appropriate opportunity. If Pakistan cannot oppose US it should also not become its protege. This will at least save Pakistan from America’s repeated betrayal. Pakistan is a country which cannot be ignored by the world due to its strategic location and its 180 million people. The history will repeat itself and sooner or later the world attention has to get back to Central Asia in which Pakistan is destined to play a key role.
Recommend
‘The first strike killed nine militants, three more were killed in a second attack when militants drove to the site to recover bodies, and a third drone killed three more five minutes later, a Peshawar-based senior security official told AFP.’
How can Pakistani secutity officials give such a detailed info.Recommend
The drone attacks are perfectly legal because of two reasons. 1. We don’t have any soveriegnty there. We cant even go there. So any sovereignty that is being impinged is taliban sovereignty. 2. The ISAF is not just USA, its 58 countries with a UN mandate (unlike iraq where UN did not give mandate). So when people from your territory go there to attack this international force and u say we cannot stop them because we don’t have adequate force, then they have every right to retaliate on those who attack them. The drones r very surgical, highly accurate and most cases only militants get hit. That is very different from our army operations where lots of innocents die. Recommend
Seems like Drones are pakistan’s national birds. Anyway, jinnah would have been proud today.
Recommend
@Sadruddin Mitha:
Do you think world is a fool ? I mean what happens when the worlds best terrorist hide in one area..in the world..Are these countries having no right to go after the terrorist..
Dont try to be smart and cunning ..This sort of problems will easily be sorted..now
Usa is in right track
If USA Cant solve it..Do you think pakistan goverment can solve this problem..
It has to be combination work of pakistani goverment and usa goverment..
who will have to solve this problem..and this time for ever
So please dont try to hide terrorist in your country..
Recommend
Pakistan goverment has to teach people lessons ..who support these terrorist..and also those people who go and chop the head of pakistani police..if they cant do that..atleast help the internationinal countries to solve the problem..
There appears some leaders who want to make pakistan a place of terrorist..Ok why dont you all sit in that town..so that the international countries around the world can take care of this problem
Recommend