US drone kills four in North Waziristan: Officials

The drone fired 2 missiles at a house in the Mir Ali area.


Afp August 31, 2013
File photo of drone. PHOTO: AFP

MIRANSHAH: A US drone killed at least four militants in a missile strike Saturday targeting a compound in North Waziristan's tribal belt, local security officials said.

The attack took place in the village of Heso Khel around 35 kilometres (21 miles) east of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan which is a notorious stronghold of Taliban and al Qaeda-linked militants.

"At least four militants have been killed and the compound has been completely destroyed," a local security official in Miranshah told AFP.

A second security official in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, confirmed the attack but said the death toll may rise.

US drone attacks are deeply unpopular in Pakistan, but Washington views them as a vital tool in the fight against Taliban and al Qaeda militants in the lawless tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.

The Pakistani government has repeatedly protested against drone strikes as a violation of its sovereignty and there has been a decrease in their use.

During a visit to Islamabad at the start of August, US Secretary of State John Kerry suggested that drone strikes targeting Taliban and al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan could end "very soon" as the threat of militancy recedes.

Kerry made the remarks in an interview with Pakistan state TV following a day of talks with the newly elected government in Islamabad, which demands that the drone strikes cease.

It was the first time that such a senior US official has indicated that there could be a definitive end to the programme, which the CIA has in the past called an effective counter-terrorism weapon.

COMMENTS (11)

csmann | 11 years ago | Reply

Was there any time when there was not talk of negotiations with Taliban?And they refused the negotiations before the drone,and fired the person who had no more than just welcomed the initiative.

MyHeartSpeaks | 11 years ago | Reply

For those who think US is in favor of stable and peaceful Pakistan, this drone is the answer to them. In recent past, wherever there is any effort to negotiate US sabotage the effort by drone-ing in the area. While, US is negotiating with Taliban in Qatar or whatever the place is.. and if we do the same, NOT ALLOWED.

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