U.S. drone strikes kill 13 suspected Taliban militants in Pakistan
By ANIThursday, January 7, 2010
MIRANSHAH - At least 13 militants were killed following back-to-back U.S. missile strikes on a Taliban training camp in Sumzalai, Pakistan on Wednesday.
According to reports, two of the three missiles fired hit a house in lawless tribal region, 50 kilometers west of Miranshah, at around 4 pm, killing seven people, while the third missile struck the same house at around 4.50 pm, killing six people.
It is believed that the apparent attack on Taliban targets were in retaliation to last week’s suicide attack at the Central Intelligence Agency’s Forward Operating Base Chapman in Afghanistan, which killed eight U.S. and allied intelligence operatives and wounded six others, The Daily Times reports.
The area is a stronghold of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, who fought with the Taliban when US-led troops invaded Afghanistan and is reputed to control up to 2,000 men, whom he sends across the border but who do not attack in Pakistan.
The missiles were reportedly fired by what appeared to be remote-controlled drone aircraft.
The CIA has staged more than 50 such strikes in the past year in Pakistan’s autonomous tribal belt, and Wednesday’s attacks brought the number of strikes against Taliban targets since December 30, 2009 to five. (ANI)
