Two killed in latest US drone attack in North Waziristan

ISLAMABAD - At least two suspected militants were killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan’s Khushali Tor Khel area on Saturday.

According to reports, unmanned Predator aircraft fired missiles on a suspected militant hideout killing two persons on the spot and injuring many others.

Local residents feared more such attacks as drones were seen hovering over the area, The Daily Times reports.

This was the second drone attack in the restive tribal region in less than a week.

Last week, a top Al-Qaeda commander Abu Ahmad was amongst 15 militants who were killed in a similar attack in Mirali town.

Abu was amongst the top commanders of Al-Qaeda and was involved in a series of terror strikes in Afghanistan, which were launched from Pakistan.

There have been more than 200 strikes, which have killed over 900 people, mostly civilians, in the troubled northwest tribal areas of Pakistan since 2008.

Earlier this month a report by a top UN official had criticised the Obama administration for continuing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operated drone attacks in the semi-autonomous tribal areas of Pakistan, as it has resulted in countless civilian deaths.

UN’s special rapporteur on extra judicial, summary or arbitrary executions Phillip Alston, in his report, argued that drone strikes amount to a “license to kill” without being held accountable, a license the U.S. would not want any other country to have.

While the Obama administration is yet to publicly accept responsibility for the drone hits, the CIA maintains that the attacks carried out by the unmanned aircraft are in fact overseen by the White House and Congress, and refuted reports that the agency lacked accountability. (ANI)