MIRANSHAH - At least 10 suspected militants were killed in a US drone attack in Miranshah, North Waziristan Agency on Wednesday. A US aircraft fired at least two missiles at 6:50 am at a house suspected of being a militant hideout in Tappi in village Spalga, killing 10 suspected militants, official sources said. The building was completely destroyed in the attack.
The sources said foreigners were also among the dead. However, their nationalities could not be identified. It is the fifth such strike this year. In the aftermath of Salala check post attack last year, when the tensions rose between Washington and Islamabad, the US halted drone attacks. However, it resumed the strikes on January 10. Agencies add: A BBC report quoted local authorities as saying that those killed in the strike were militants from the Haqqani network. “Almost all the men were burnt beyond recognition,” a villager said after visiting the destroyed house. “Dozens of militants arrived later and took over rescue work. They pulled out nine bodies,” he said, requesting anonymity.
Some local residents in Tappi contacted by AFP said the militants announced over a mosque loudspeaker that funeral prayers for the dead will be held on Wednesday afternoon.