News...
                      sponsored by
 

US drone attack kills 10 in Pakistan tribal area

Send a link to a friend

[May 06, 2011]  PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) -- The U.S. carried out its first drone attack in Pakistan since Osama bin Laden's death in an American raid this week, killing 10 people in a hail of missiles near the Afghan border Friday, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

The strike took place in North Waziristan, an al-Qaida and Taliban stronghold that has been subject to frequent missile attacks, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The aircraft fired eight missiles along a dirt road in the Datta Khel area that hit a roadside restaurant, a house and a vehicle, said the officials. Ten people were killed in the attack and another four were wounded, they said.

It was unclear whether intelligence gleaned from the U.S. commando raid that killed bin Laden on Monday played a part in the drone strike.

Drone attacks are extremely unpopular in Pakistan, and the most recent attack could further increase tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan that have spiked in the wake of bin Laden's death.

Many U.S. officials have expressed skepticism of claims by Pakistani officials that they didn't know where bin Laden was hiding -- even though he was found in a compound in the army town of Abbottabad, only about a two hours' drive from the capital.

The U.S. refuses to publicly acknowledge the covert CIA drone program in Pakistan, but officials have said privately that the attacks have killed many senior al-Qaida and Taliban commanders.

Pakistani officials regularly condemn the attacks as violations of the country's sovereignty. But many are believed to privately support the program, and some of the drones are suspected of taking off from inside Pakistan.

[Associated Press; By RASOOL DAWAR]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

< Top Stories index

Back to top


 

News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries

Community | Perspectives | Law & Courts | Leisure Time | Spiritual Life | Health & Fitness | Teen Scene
Calendar | Letters to the Editor