Predator strikes: 25 killed in three drone attacks in N Waziristan

Four pilotless drones attacked Shawal and Datakhel tehsils in a span of two days, officials at Miramshah say

MIRAMSHAH:

US drones continued to attack suspected hideouts in scattered areas of North Waziristan Agency during Eidul Azha and killed at least 25 militants, including foreign fighters.

Unconfirmed reports from Shawal mountainous regions reveal that a drone targeted a compound of militants with missiles on the night between Sunday and Monday. As a result, five of the occupants died on the spot whereas several others suffered injuries.

Those killed included Uzbek militants, taking refuge in the region along with their likeminded Pakistani and Afghan comrades.

On Monday, a drone targeted another compound and a vehicle at the Mangronay area of Shawal and killed five persons while destroying the vehicle and the house.



In early hours of Tuesday, drones fired two missiles at a compound at Kund Ghar area of Shawal and killed at least six while injuring nine persons. In the same area, US drone targeted another compound of suspected militants at afternoon and eliminated at least eight more lives on the spot.

The reports on drone attacks and their impact could not be verified from independent sources because media is not allowed access to the area and tribesmen are on the run due to the ongoing operation Zarb-e-Azb.

However, officials at Miramshah confirmed that four US drone attacked in a span of two days in different areas of Shawal and Datakhel tehsils.

The officials also said that besides more than 20 fatalities, around two dozen suspected militants sustained injuries in these assaults. The dead and injured included foreigners but their precise identity is yet to be ascertained.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2014.