Drone strike kills eight, including German nationals

Attack comes as intelligence agencies uncover al Qaeda plot based in Waziristan.

PESHAWAR: A US drone strike in North Waziristan on Monday killed eight militants, including German nationals, local security officials said.“Five German rebels of Turkish origin and three local militants were killed in the strike,” an official said, adding they were trying to find out further details of the dead and their militant group.

Another security official told AFP that “some European nationals including Germans were killed in the strike”, without giving an exact number.

The latest attack took place in Mir Ali bazaar, 20 km east of Miranshah. “A US drone fired two missiles on a compound which was being used by militants” one official said. The compound belonged to a local tribesman, he added.

The attack came hours after Japan and Sweden joined Washington and London in issuing an alert warning of a “possible terrorist attack” by al Qaeda and affiliated groups against their citizens travelling in Europe.

Western intelligence agencies have uncovered an al Qaeda plot by militants based in Waziristan to launch attacks in Britain, France and Germany, security sources and media reports said. The plot is thought to have been inspired by al Qaeda’s fugitive leadership in the fiercely independent region, although Pakistan has rejected the notion of a plot on its soil.

Waziristan is bigger than Lebanon and its mountains are dissected by goat tracks,  caves and thick forest which provide perfect sanctuary to militants. A potent vortex of Afghan, Pakistani, Uzbek and Arab militants, Waziristan is described by intelligence officials as a black hole.

A sweeping offensive into South Waziristan was launched last October by the government in a bid to wipe out the nerve-centre of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), blamed for terror attacks in Pakistan. Much of the TTP leadership is believed to have fled, but the military has so far stopped short of ordering a similar offensive into North Waziristan, which has been seen as the ultimate fortress of militants.

Analysts share the view that a military operation in North Waziristan would be relatively difficult to take on. “The army is busy in other tribal areas where they have not succeeded as yet. They face a tougher resistance in North Waziristan and going in would be like over-stretching themselves,” Dr Hasan Askari told The Express Tribune.

Askari said the government would first deal with those who pose a threat to them because militant groups in North Waziristan are not really targeting Pakistan.

However Nato’s increasing frustration and attempts to push the Afghanistan operation into Pakistan’s border region has been building pressure on the government.

“On the one hand the US wants Pakistan to take action against militants in North Waziristan and on the other hand it wants Islamabad to have a relationship with some militant groups,” says Askari, adding that it would be impossible to attack someone one is trying to negotiate with.

However, defence analyst Ikram Sehgal believes South Waziristan is where the trouble lies.  And that the threat level is decreasing due to the military operation. “The US sees North Waziristan has the biggest threat as militant groups in the region send their fighters across the border into Afghanistan,” Sehgal told The Express Tribune. (AFP with additional reporting by Shayan Naveed)

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2010.