News
Thursday, August 11, 2011
US drone strike kills 21 Haqqani fighters in NWA
* Arabs, Uzbeks believed to be among those killed
MIRANSHAH: A US drone strike in Pakistan on Wednesday killed up to 21 Afghan fighters from the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, considered the top US foe in eastern Afghanistan, authorities said.
Pakistani officials said a US drone fired two missiles, destroying a vehicle and a compound in North Waziristan, the headquarters of the Haqqani leadership and the most infamous militant bastion in the semi-autonomous tribal belt. “More dead bodies have been dug out of the debris. Twenty-one militants from the Haqqani group were killed and three were injured,” a Pakistani security official told AFP in Peshawar.
“It was Haqqani’s compound and his fighters were using it as a camp. They used to gather round for midnight food,” said another Pakistani official, referring to pre-dawn meal of Sehri during the fasting month of Ramazan. “All those killed were Haqqani’s men and Afghans, but we have reports that some Arabs and Uzbeks were also present at the time of attack and were killed,” the official added on condition of anonymity.
Pakistani officials said the missiles struck the Haqqani camp close to Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, at 2:15am (2115 GMT Tuesday). afp
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk