Pakistan

Over 50 killed in 3 drone strikes

Multiple drone strikes on militants, Lashkar-e-Islam headquarters leave 51 dead in Khyber Agency.

Express December 17, 2010

KHYBER: At least 51 people were killed in three drone strikes in the Khyber Agency on Friday.

According to Express 24/7 correspondent Iftikhar Firdous, the first strike targeted the headquarters of banned outfit Lashkar-e-Islam called 'Khushal Markaz' near the area of Speen Drang. Thirty two people were killed in the attack. Sources said that a wanted militant commander Marjan Alias Fauji was killed along with his companions.

In the second strike that took place in the Nahqi area of Sipah in Tirah valley, 15 militants were killed when a drone fired missiles at a house. According to sources the killed militants belonged to Swat.

At least four more people were killed when a drone fired missiles on a building in the Sandana village.

US drone attacks in the tribal areas of the country have increased in the recent past. On Thursday, a US missile strike killed seven suspected militants in Khyber Agency. Local security officials said the attack was an apparent expansion of America's drone campaign in the country.

COMMENTS (20)

Abdul Manan | 13 years ago | Reply when these attach on the other land of pakistan. Like Islambad / karachi / and lahore.... Very ashamed for you pakistan defence Forces.

Ahsan | 13 years ago | Reply It's true that these strikes do eliminate terrorists but what I just can't comprehend is that this machine always kills terrorists. To me the pain is the same when I see the resultant victims which were massacred by a blood thirsty maniac and also when the one, who has absolutely nothing to do with Taliban or Al-Qaeda and who is even a hostage to these butchers, finds his or her beloveds dead in a strike which was meant to free him. The crux of my argument is that this ambiguity should be removed. Press must be given permit to these areas so that we may find actually who is dying.

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Rehan | 13 years ago | Reply @khan, if the tribsmen are so worried about the so called attorcities, why not stop supporting terrorists. problem solved. simple, isn't it?

Rehan | 13 years ago | Reply @amin, haa haa, PAF who?

\amin | 13 years ago | Reply Where is PAF's mighty power to stop these attacks ?

notoracism | 13 years ago | Reply I wonder we always question the law under which drone attacks are being carried out, but my question is under which law terrorists are operating from our soil. I wil ask all ''anti drone'' campaigners to be atleast equally rhetoric against taliban/alqaeda.....

khan | 13 years ago | Reply the drone attacks prove the embarrassment of coalition forces. they just want to harm everybody who has any thing common with pushtuns. the drone attacks are the violation of UN conventions regarding human rights. no body can stop them as these are made under an agreement and Pakistan is a signatory to it. but those who are declaring them good have not an iota of common sense to understand the complex situation our tribesman had been stuck into. every body who does not understand the geopolitical situation will jump into the band wagon of the propagandist schism the media has created and does not think for a single time what the reality is. the fact is that tribesmen have been humiliated,killed,tortured,abandoned,kidnapped and brutalized so much that no other race can match such cruelties. but still the tribesmen prove to be the most sincere,devoted and dedicated people of the land of the pure. no other ethnic community in Pakistan have given so much sacrifices but the drone are still to be declared as good i don't why?

Raju | 13 years ago | Reply That's a big bite !!! If US knows where militants are then why Pak Internal Security do not know about them? Isn't it suspicious !!!

A M Bookmier | 13 years ago | Reply If the attacks are loathed by the Pakistani people...then do something about the terrorists living and operating out of your country. Innocents who live among the terrorists can expect they will possibly suffer the same fate as the bad guys. I believe America is acting to be as surgical as possible - thus the use of drones. It beats carpet bombing - ask the North Vietnamese. America will not sit back and do nothing about attacks against our interests...that goes for everywhere and anywhere it happens. America is not the aggressor unless attacked, then expect all hell to break loose. You may look at America as the enemy, but I would reassess that viewpoint. America will stop drone attacks when terrorists stop attacking. I think the key word here is Peace. Live in Peace live without fear of American intervention - America treats it's friendlier countries and peoples with great respect and tolerance.

jovan | 13 years ago | Reply Good indeed. Suicide bombers don't care about innocent people. Just remember who started this war

tdub | 13 years ago | Reply Good riddance to the militants. And no thanks to the Pakistan gov't for continuing their secret support of the Taliban, while looking the other way to drone attacks, simply for the purpose of gathering foreign aid and humanitarian aid that they can corruptly squander for their own enrichment. Bottom line, the USA would not be there, if not for the Talban support of the 9/11 attackers. (now is the cue for all the crazy people to chime in how the USA/Israel "staged" 9/11). Ignorance is such a sad thing. Talliban rule is demeaning to wormen, is anti-education, anti-culture, anti-humanitarian and their brand of Islam is based on ignorance, illiteracy and savage violence. It is one thing to want to be left alone to conduct their lives without interference, quite another to be plotting attacks against anyone who doesn't want to come along for their stupid cultural and religious desire to live like they did a few centuries ago. I wouldn't worry about drones flying in the air if I didn't have cause for them to be there.

bob | 13 years ago | Reply Great!

Heh | 13 years ago | Reply I love how someone can post one word and get everyone all riled up.

Asad Durrani | 13 years ago | Reply Faceless and (probably) nameless people like "Rohail" need not be paid much attention. Our ire should be directed against this shameless leadership, civil and military. Protecting the life and property of our citizens is their primary function. They cannot do that, from the Drones or from militants, terrorists, or those seeking revenge for Drone-victims.

Rehan | 13 years ago | Reply subhanallah...may god's wrath fall like thousand lightening strikes on these militants. how ironical it is to see the story saying the missile strike was on the HQ of a banned outfit? if it was banned then how did they still manage to have a working HQ? only in pakistan is this dichotomy possible.

Khan | 13 years ago | Reply Cautious.. I would worry about your Naxals in India more.

Cautious | 13 years ago | Reply How can a banned organization have a headquarters which is apparently known to everyone? Pretty convincing evidence that Pakistan's leadership says one thing and does another. No wonder no one trusts Pakistan.

amjad afridi | 13 years ago | Reply Mr rohail, its easy to say GOOD, but you need to use your head and think logically..... in that same area there are hundered of thousand of people whor are innocent...who are utterly against this talibinisation ideaology or any militancy or extremisim... i am quite sure and its on the record that these drone are not 100% precise in their targets... these drones are normally operated from navada region in USA...about 8000miles away...and because they are guided through GPS doesn't mean that it can identify between militants and innocent... its really a matter of shame when someone says "good" and not even think for a moment how many civilian would have died in these attacks... you will feel the pain when it comes to your part.

Jahan | 13 years ago | Reply @rohail I will see if people saying good to these attacks saying again good the day when these drones come to our towns...Which international law give them the right to kill the alleged militants along with their families which include women and children...may Allah give us a strong leadership to stop this war of terror

Rohail | 13 years ago | Reply Good.

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