Over 1800 people killed in 184 US drone attacks in Pak since June 2004

PESHAWAR - US drones have killed around 1,863 people so far in its 184 strikes staged inside Pakistani territory since June 18, 2004, sources have revealed.

Statistics show that a total of 53 drone attacks were carried out in Pakistan by the US unmanned combat air vehicles in 2009, killing 709 people, mostly innocent tribesmen including women and children, The News reported.

The number of attacks were 33 in 2008, killing 296 people, while 74 people were killed in four such attacks in 2007, 23 in two attacks in 2006, seven in two attacks in 2005 and five in one attack in 2004.

But there has been an unprecedented surge in the drone attacks in 2010, with the unmanned planes kicking off an aggressive operation since the very first day of the year.

A total of 749 people have been killed in 89 attacks so far this year. The month of September witnessed the maximum number of attacks, with 16 strikes, followed by 11 drone hits in January.

While some top terrorists, including Baitullah Mahsud- Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief, Sheikh Fateh al-Misri- the operational commander of al-Qaeda in the region, and Nek Mohammad Wazir- a commander of the Pakistani Taliban, were killed in the missile attacks, the killings of numerous innocent tribesmen have triggered widespread anger among the countrymen, the paper said.

The matter had also been raised in the upper and lower Houses of Parliament on several occasions, but it could not bring a halt to the US drone attacks in Pakistani territory. (ANI)