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U.S. drone strike in North Waziristan kills four, while Pakistani airstrikes kill 13 in Khyber Agency.
A U.S. drone strike killed at least four militants in North Waziristan on Tuesday, security officials said, drawing condemnation from Islamabad, while 13 militants were killed in airstrikes on the Khyber Agency by Pakistani forces.
The drone attack took place in the village of Datta Khel in an area considered a stronghold of Taliban militants. The same area was attacked at least six times in September and October by Pakistani military airstrikes. “A U.S. drone fired two missiles hitting a vehicle and a house that killed four militants while two other were injured,” said a security official. Another official confirmed the incident, saying identities of the dead could not be ascertained.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry condemned the drone strike in a statement issued to the media, a routine reaction to such attacks, which have been targeting militants in the tribal areas since 2004. “Pakistan considers such strikes a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, especially at a time when our authorities are engaged in taking decisive action against terrorist elements in North Waziristan Agency,” the statement said.
The military said it had undertaken the second attack and had killed “13 terrorists including some foreigners … destroying three of their hideouts,” in a statement. “Strikes were carried out on intelligence about presence of terrorists involved in Wagah border suicide attack,” the statement added.
A suicide bomber struck at the Wagah border crossing near Lahore on Nov. 2, also wounding more than 120, in one of the deadliest such attacks to hit Pakistan for more than a year.