Ethan Miller—AFP
At least 10 suspected militants killed in separate strikes in Khyber Agency and North Waziristan.
At least 10 suspected militants, including a senior commander of Al Qaeda’s South Asia wing, were killed in two separate U.S. drone strikes in the Khyber and North Waziristan tribal areas on Saturday.
The first incident occurred around noon in the Charchano Kando region of Khyber Agency’s Tirah Valley, according to officials. “A U.S. drone fired several missiles on the compound of suspected militants in Khyber Agency, killing at least six militants,” said an intelligence official on condition of anonymity. “The attack happened around noon and there is confirmed presence of foreigners in the compound at the time of attack.”
The spokesman for Al Qaeda’s South Asia chapter also confirmed the strike. “Al Qaeda’s subcontinent Sheikh Imran alias Haji Wali Ullah has been martyred in a drone strike along with six others,” said Usama Mahmood. “Sheikh Wali was actively engaged in jihad since 1990. He was imprisoned for eight years for his involvement in the attack on the U.S. consulate in Karachi,” he added.
In a separate drone strike, at least four suspected militants were killed in the Maragha area of North Waziristan’s Shawal region in the evening. “At least four people were killed when a U.S. drone fired two missiles on a vehicle in Maragha area of Shawal subdivision,” said an intelligence official on condition of anonymity as he wasn’t authorized to speak to media. “The area where the drone strike occurred belongs to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group,” he added.
There has been spike in drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas this month, taking the combined death toll to an estimated 29 in the past week.