Five killed in US drone strike in Pakistan: officials

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Jan 29, 2010 (AFP) - At least five suspected militants were killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan's tribal area near the Afghan border late Friday, officials said.

The attack targeted a militant compound in Muhammad Khel, a town in North Waziristan, a local government official said.

"Initial reports say at least five people were killed and there are fears the toll may go up," he said.

A security official, who also confirmed the toll, said the drone fired three missiles.

The compound was believed to be a centre for local Taliban and was also a base for insurgents belonging to the Haqqani network, which is known for staging attacks on US and NATO troops in Afghanistan

Officials also said the site was used by foreign fighters but the identity of the suspected insurgents killed in the attack was not immediately known.

Washington has branded Pakistan's lawless tribal belt that runs along the Afghan border the most dangerous place in the world, rife with Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants plotting attacks on Western targets.

A volley of drone strikes, which fuel anti-American sentiment in the nuclear-armed Muslim nation, have hit the northwest this month.

The strikes have been concentrated on North Waziristan, a bastion of Al-Qaeda fighters, the Taliban and the Haqqani network.

A US drone missile attack last week killed at least five suspected militants at a militant compound in a village 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan.

A number of US strikes in early January are reported to have targeted Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, but he then dispelled rumours of his death in an audio recording, also vowing revenge for the drone programme.

The bombings by unmanned US aircraft have soared recently, as US President Barack Obama puts Pakistan at the heart of his administration's fight against Al-Qaeda and Islamist extremists.

The Pakistani government publicly condemns the strikes but US officials say they are necessary to protect foreign soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, and say a number of high-value extremists have been killed in the bombing raids.

Hakimullah Mehsud's predecessor, Baitullah Mehsud, was killed in a US drone strike last August.

Washington is also pressing Islamabad to tackle militants who use Pakistani soil to launch attacks in Afghanistan, where about 113,000 troops under US and NATO command are battling a Taliban insurgency.

Also on Friday, Pakistani security forces killed 24 suspected militants in air strikes and clashes in another northwestern tribal district plagued by Taliban insurgents, government officials said.


by Roland Lloyd Parry
(c) 2010 AFP