What an awesome start to the weekend - six Taliban, who probably between them have killed over 20 women and children apiece over their career, are now a fine red mist on the ground of North Waziristan as the result of two predator drones hitting their compound in North Waziristan.
From the report at The Long War Journal:
One thing that I think needs to be pointed out though is that when the Taliban and al Qaeda pulled off the assassination of so many of our key CIA leadership in the region in that attack in Khost, Afghanistan a few months ago, well, since that event, the number of Taliban and al Qaeda "leaders" taken out in these UAV attacks has dropped significantly. And that is a disturbing fact.
Normally, about every two weeks a fairly important leader of the bad guys was turned to dust and quite frankly, we haven't seen more than two of these types taken out now in over two months.
From the report at The Long War Journal:
Unmanned US strike aircraft fired missiles at a Taliban compound today in a known al Qaeda haven in the Taliban stronghold of North Waziristan.You know, there are places like Mohammed Khel in North Waziristan, that it just amazes me that any Taliban remain - these areas have been consistently hit by U.S. drones and as you have all seen here, the normal tally of dead from these drone attacks is usually between 4 and 8 dead Taliban. But hey, it's a target rich environment and I'm not complaining one bit about shooting fish in a barrel.
Two Predators, or the more deadly Reapers, fired four missiles at a compound in the village of Mohammed Khel, a known Taliban haven.
Six "terrorists" were reported killed in the attack, AFP reported, but it is unclear if they are Taliban fighters, al Qaeda operatives, or fighters from the multitude of jihadist groups operating in Pakistan's tribal areas. No senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders have been reported killed at this time.
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 jihadist groups shelter in Bahadar's tribal areas, and they also run training camps and safe houses in the region.
One thing that I think needs to be pointed out though is that when the Taliban and al Qaeda pulled off the assassination of so many of our key CIA leadership in the region in that attack in Khost, Afghanistan a few months ago, well, since that event, the number of Taliban and al Qaeda "leaders" taken out in these UAV attacks has dropped significantly. And that is a disturbing fact.
Normally, about every two weeks a fairly important leader of the bad guys was turned to dust and quite frankly, we haven't seen more than two of these types taken out now in over two months.
US airstrike kills 6 in North Waziristan
Unmanned US strike aircraft fired missiles at a Taliban compound today in a known al Qaeda haven in the Taliban stronghold of North Waziristan.
Two Predators, or the more deadly Reapers, fired four missiles at a compound in the village of Mohammed Khel, a known Taliban haven.
Six "terrorists" were reported killed in the attack, AFP reported, but it is unclear if they are Taliban fighters, al Qaeda operatives, or fighters from the multitude of jihadist groups operating in Pakistan's tribal areas. No senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders have been reported killed at this time.
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 jihadist groups shelter in Bahadar's tribal areas, and they also run training camps and safe houses in the region.
Despite the known presence of al Qaeda and other foreign groups in North Waziristan, 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. Bahadar and the Haqqanis are considered "good Taliban" by the Pakistani military establishment as they do not carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
Today's strike is the sixth reported inside Pakistan this month. So far this year, the US has carried out 37 strikes in Pakistan; all but one of the strikes this year have taken place in North Waziristan. The last airstrike, on May 15, occurred in the tribal agency of Khyber.
The US is well on its way to exceeding last year’s strike total in Pakistan. In 2009, the US carried out 53 strikes in Pakistan; and in 2008, the US carried out 36 strikes in the country. [For up-to-date charts on the US air campaign in Pakistan, see: "Charting the data for US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2010."]
Unmanned US Predator and Reaper strike aircraft have been pounding Taliban and al Qaeda hideouts in North Waziristan over the past several months in an effort to kill senior terror leaders and disrupt the networks that threaten Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the West. [For more information, see LWJ report, "Senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2010."]
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