There's just nothing like starting off a holiday weekend with two predator drone strikes that remove 15 Taliban from the world of the breathing. Yep, the U.S. struck two different compounds in North Waziristan, Pakistan this morning and the net result was not only 15 Taliban killed but the report that one of them was a higher level commander.
From the article at The Long War Journal:
From the article at The Long War Journal:
Unmanned US strike aircraft attacked compounds in two separate strikes today in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan.It is a bit surprising that there hasn't been more of an exodus of the Taliban and the Haqqani Network out of North Waziristan as I would say at least 90% of the drone attacks over the past year have been in this one province of Pakistan but each and every weekend we pretty much can count on anywhere from 5 to 20 dead muj in North Waziristan. But hey, if they want to keep swimming around and around in the barrel, let em.
In the first attack, US Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired two missiles at a compound near Miramshah, the main town in North Waziristan, according to Dawn.
Six "local militants" are reported to have been killed in the strike. No senior terrorist leader has been reported killed at this time.
"All those killed were local militants, we have no report about the presence of any 'high-value' target," an intelligence official told AFP.
Miramshah is the headquarters of the Haqqani Network, the al Qaeda-linked Taliban subgroup that operates in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In a second strike, US aircraft hit a compound (Dawn claimed it was a vehicle) in the town of Data Khel. Samaa TV stated that nine Taliban fighters, including a commander known as Inayatullah, were killed in the strike, which targeted the home of Gul Adam.
US Predators kill 15 'militants' in pair of strikes in North Waziristan
Unmanned US strike aircraft attacked compounds in two separate strikes today in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan.
In the first attack, US Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired two missiles at a compound near Miramshah, the main town in North Waziristan, according to Dawn.
Six "local militants" are reported to have been killed in the strike. No senior terrorist leader has been reported killed at this time.
"All those killed were local militants, we have no report about the presence of any 'high-value' target," an intelligence official told AFP.
Miramshah is the headquarters of the Haqqani Network, the al Qaeda-linked Taliban subgroup that operates in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In a second strike, US aircraft hit a compound (Dawn claimed it was a vehicle) in the town of Data Khel. Samaa TV stated that nine Taliban fighters, including a commander known as Inayatullah, were killed in the strike, which targeted the home of Gul Adam.
Data Khel is the stronghold of Hafiz Gul Bahadar, a Taliban commander who, like the Haqqanis, is viewed as "good Taliban" by the Pakistani military as he does not advocate attacks on the Pakistani state. The Haqqanis and Bahadar support attacks in Afghanistan and shelter al Qaeda fighters.
Today's strikes make for 56 attacks this year. The US exceeded last year's strike total of 53 with a strike in Kurram late last month. In 2008, the US carried out 36 strikes inside Pakistan.
All but six of this year's 56 strikes have taken place in North Waziristan. Of the six strikes that have occurred outside of North Waziristan, four took place in South Waziristan, one occurred in Khyber, and one took place in Kurram.
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