Six killed in drone attack in North Waziristan

PESHAWAR: Six people were reported killed in a suspected US drone strike in northwestern Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region on Saturday, DawnNews reported.

Moreover, two people were also reported to have been injured in the attack.
The drone fired four missiles that targeted a vehicle and a compound in the tribal region’s Degan area.
A senior security official told AFP that several drones were flying in the area at the time of the attack.
Another security official confirmed the strike.
He said the area had been the target of US drone strikes in the past, which killed several foreign militants.
The district is a stronghold of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur militant group, he said, adding that militants from the Haqqani network also operated in Degan.
Attacks by unmanned American aircraft are deeply unpopular in Pakistan, which says they violate its sovereignty and fan anti-US sentiment, but US officials are said to believe the attacks are too important to give up.
Washington regards Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt as the main hub of Taliban and Al Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.

from DAWN 
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from KHAAMA:
By Sajad - Sat Sep 01, 1:54 pm

U.S. drones fired a barrage of missiles at a vehicle and a house in a Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan Saturday, killing at least four suspected militants, Pakistani officials said.

The strike took place in Degan area of North Waziristan, known as a bastion of Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

“US drones fired four missiles on a compound, killing four militants,” a senior security official told AFP.

The district is a stronghold of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur militant group, he said, adding that militants from the Afghan Taliban allied Haqqani network also operate in Degan.

Bahadur’s faction is alleged to have been involved in frequent attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but generally shies away from carrying out operations inside Pakistan. Several recent drone strikes have killed militants affiliated with Bahadur’s group.

Pakistan, on a number of occasions, protested and showed reservations over such attacks, terming them as the violation of its sovereignty and a big reason of collateral damage.
Pakistani parliament also passed a resolution against the drone strikes.

However Washington maintains the program is a necessary and effective tool in combatting militants.

Posted in: Afghanistan, alqaeda, Drone attacks in Pakistan, Drones, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, Haqqani network, North Waziristan, Pakistan