10 suspected militants killed in US drone strike in North Waziristan

ISLAMABAD - At least 10 suspected extremists were killed and several others wounded in a US drone strike in North Waziristan on Sunday.

Security officials said unmanned aircrafts targeted a suspected militant hideout in Inzarkas village, situated some 50 kilometres west of Miranshah, the main town in the volatile North Waziristan region killing 10 extremists on the spot.

“The missiles struck a militant compound in the village, killing at least 10 rebels,” The News quoted a local security official, as saying.

“It was, however, not immediately known if any high-value target was present in the area at the time of attack,” the official added.

The missile hit has come amidst reports that the United States is planning to greatly expand the use of drones against militants in Pakistan’s troubled tribal regions along the Afghanistan border following the failed Times Square bombing plot, which was masterminded by an American citizen of Pakistan origin, Faisal Shahzad.

However, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar has rejected reports about any such expansion of drone strikes, saying it was mere speculation on part of the American media.

US drones routinely target Taliban and Al Qaeda commanders in country’s tribal regions.

A US drone strike in Miranshah in February killed Muhammad Haqqani, a brother of al Qaeda-linked warlord Sirajuddin Haqqani, whose network is fighting against US and local forces in Afghanistan.

The frequency of missile hits has increased considerably in North Waziristan following a bomb attack on a CIA camp in Afghanistan in December last year, which killed seven top US intelligence officials.

Although Pakistan publicly opposes the attacks, saying they violate its sovereignty and fuel anti-Americanism among the population, it is believed that it was sharing intelligence with the US about the insurgents and their hide-outs. (ANI)