Posted on 01/23/2011 2:21:46 PM PST by csvset
MIRANSHAH, Pakistan — A series of unmanned US drone strikes in a lawless district of Pakistan on Sunday killed at least 13 militants, officials said, as tribesmen took to the streets to protest the aerial campaign.
The first two attacks took place in Datta Khel, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of North Waziristan's main town of Miranshah. The third was in Mando Khel, around 60 kilometres south of the town.
In the first strike two missiles were fired on a vehicle seconds after it stopped outside a house in Datta Khel, officials said.
"The US drone hit a car immediately after it parked outside a house. Four militants have been killed," an intelligence official in Miranshah told AFP, adding that the vehicle was destroyed and the house badly damaged.
"Preliminary reports said all of them were local militants but we are trying to get more information," he added.
A second intelligence official said the drone fired two missiles.
An intelligence official in Peshawar also confirmed the attack and the number of missiles, saying: "At least four militants have been killed."
Another US drone then fired two missiles at a motorcycle travelling in the same town, killing three militants, local officials said.
"Three militants have been killed in the second attack," a security official in Miranshah told AFP.
Another security official said the militants were riding a motorcycle when they were hit by the US drone.
It was not immediately clear if the drones were pursuing any high value target but one intelligence official in Miranshah said they were checking reports that a foreigner was among those killed in the second attack.
In the third strike, a vehicle parked inside a suspected militant compound was hit.
"A US drone fired two missiles just after the car was parked.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Cool. Put it in park and a couple of Hellfires light them up.
I suspect as we capture AQ types in A-Stan, they're squeezed for info which provides targeting in P-Stan within a couple of days or so. Just a guess on my part.
People in "lawless" regions should be given a chance to evacuate before those regions are made to glow in the dark.
Well.....I know an obvious way to quell those pesky protests!!!!!
Send the drones back to quell the protest
Seriously...take to the streets to protest people being killed in the streets????
Seriously...take to the streets to protest people being killed in the streets????
we need to use bigger bombs and more of them!!!
Not that I am against taking out insurgents in “lawless” regions, I am all for it. The use of drones though is an interesting twist on a way to violate the sovereign airspace of Pakistan. We don’t seem to use manned aircraft to do these raids either here or in Somalia etc. I suppose they are unmarked or something in case they are shot down or crash from mechanical failure?
A curious diplomatic arrangement.
Single bomb...turns sand to glass!
If the drones were AF then they would wear the USAF livery,if Agency owned then a spook paint job.
Maybe some spook markings to go with it..
We've been doing this for the last few years with the Paki government's approval. For their own internal political reasons, they don't say much about it to the Paki population.
Although Nancy Pelosi did, IIRC. Revealing classified info in so doing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.