By Brian Lanciault
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan– At least two militants were killed Saturday morning in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan, after U.S. drones targeted the largely tribal area near Mir Ali. Pakistani intelligence sources said that the missile attacks were launched directly at a pair of militants travelling on a motorbike through the village of Mosaki.
The two men killed have suspected connections to the Taliban in the region, though official reports have yet to confirm these suspicions. Security officials have stated that the two deceased were of Turkmen origin.
A Pakastani intelligence official stated that “two men, probably Arab nationals, were passing through Mosaki village when the drone fired two missiles and hit them. Both of the militants on the motorbike were killed on the spot.” The official further reported that “the drone fired two missiles that also damaged a nearby house, but no casualty has so far been reported inside it.”
In a separate military operation by the Pakistan Air Force, jets targeted several militant hideouts in the same area, killing seven known insurgents. The targeted area is a known hot spot for Afghani and Taliban militants seeking refuge across the border in Pakistan. According to an unnamed official who spoke with Reuters, “These areas are known as strongholds of the militants from where they stage deadly attacks in Kohat and Peshawar.” Pakistani military officials believe that these mountainous regions provide a base of operation for the Taliban in Pakistan.
Senior Pakistani officials have stated that there was no connection between the U.S. drone strikes and the Air Force operations that occurred the same day.
This most recent strike is the third drone attack by the U.S. since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took office in June. Sharif has vocalized his distaste for the use of drone strikes by the United States in Pakistan and has publicly called for an end to U.S. action against Taliban and other insurgents that reside in the Pakastani tribal region. The Prime Minister has gone so far as to condemn the U.S. action as a direct violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. Despite these public remarks by the Prime Minister, other Pakastani officials have characterized the drone strikes as a useful tool and effective means of inhibiting the activities of militants seeking a safe haven in Pakistan.
For more information, please see:
Reuters — Nine militants killed in U.S. drone, Pakistan air force strikes — 14 July 2013
Global Post — Drone strike in Pakistan kills 2 suspected militants — 14 July 2013
CNN — U.S. drone kills 2, Pakistan sources say — 13 July 2013
New York Times — 2 Killed by U.S. Drone Strike in Pakistan — 13 July 2013
The Guardian — Two killed in U.S. drone strike on Pakistani militants — 14 July 2013
