Two US drone strikes killing at least 5 in North Waziristan in last 24 hours

A suspected US missile struck a car in a northwest tribal region Friday, killing three men in the second such attack in less than a day. Both missile strikes occurred in North Waziristan. A missile fired by a pilotless U.S. drone aircraft on Friday killed at least three militants travelling in a car in North Waziristan region on the Afghan border, security officials said. "The bodies were burnt beyond recognition. We are trying to determine their identity," said one security official. On Thursday night, a drone attack killed at least two militants in the same region. The one Friday happened near Mir Ali, a major town in the region, said two intelligence officials who spoke to a US news agency on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record. Shortly after Friday's attack, Taliban arrived at scene of the attack in the village of Ghundi and moved the bodies to an undisclosed location, the officials said. The United States carried out at least 50 drone air strikes in northwestern border regions in 2009, killing about 415 people, including many foreign militants, according to tally reports from Pakistani officials and residents. In 2008, there were 32 strikes that killed about 240 people. Pakistan worries the strikes could undermine efforts to deal with militancy because the civilian casualties inflame public anger and bolster support for the fighters. Pakistan has pressed the United States to provide it with drones to allow it to conduct its own attacks.

ePaper - Nawaiwaqt