US strikes kill 6 in North Waziristan

The Long War Journal ^ | April 16, 2010 | Bill Roggio

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Unmanned US strike aircraft killed six Taliban fighters during attacks in Pakistan’s lawless tribal agency of North Waziristan.

A flight of Predators or its more muscular brothers, the Reapers, hit a Taliban compound and two vehicles in the town of Tolkhel near Miramshah in North Waziristan. The Predators fired their missiles in two waves. Seven missiles total were fired, according to a report in Dawn.

The first strike hit a Taliban compound and vehicle, while the second strike appears to have hit during the Taliban’s attempt to recover the dead and wounded.

"Missiles hit a car carrying militants and as soon as other people rushed into help, more missiles were fired by drones," a Pakistani security official told AFP.

Today's airstrike took place in a region administered by North Waziristan Taliban leader Hafiz Gul Bahadar. Al Qaeda and allied Pakistani and Central Asian jihadi groups shelter in Bahadar's tribal areas, and they also run training camps and safe houses in the region. The Pakistani military has indicated that it has no plans to take on Bahadar or the Haqqani Network, a deadly Taliban group that is closely allied with al Qaeda and is also based in North Waziristan.

Today's strike is the third reported inside Pakistan this month, and the third in five days. On April 14, US aircraft fired two missiles on a vehicle near Miramshah as the Taliban fighters stopped to pray, killing four Taliban fighters.

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the second strike appears to have hit during the Taliban’s attempt to recover the dead and wounded

Only fair, as AQ & the Talibunnies strike at first responders.

[thethirddegree]

I am glad that we are finally using the one-two approach on these terrorists. They should also consider doing it for Taliban funerals.

[lormand]

Agreed!

I'm really surprised, in this extreme PC world that they are pounding them as they retrieve bodies.

I used to always wonder why the Israelis didn't do this when the Hamas, etc, would have funerals filled with extremist pumping fists and AK47s in the air. Target rich environment.

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From Dawn, there's this info about one of the vehicles that was hit.

Villagers said that another car which had escaped the attack fled the area but the drones chased it for about 15 minutes.

Chased it in hopes that they'd track it to another hideout or played with it like a cat plays with a mouse?

The old adage, "You can run but you'll die tired" comes to mind.

A 15 minute chase in the back roads just to get whacked by a Hellfire or two anyways.