A U.S attack drone carried out missile strikes today against suspected Taliban militants near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border killing six militants according to intelligence sources. The attack took place at pre-dawn in the South Waziristan region of FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Regions) of Pakistan. This region is known to be a stronghold of the Taliban militia and is considered as the nerve center for the operations carried out by Pakistan Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud.
The exact time of the attack is said to be around 2.30 in the morning and is considered as a precision strike with zero collateral damage. According to an intelligence official,
“The area has been surrounded by militants and they’re removing bodies from the debris. We have now confirmed reports of six dead and five wounded.”
With the escalated insurgency and suicide attacks on the coalition troops in Afghanistan, U.S forces have intensified their drone attacks on the suspected terrorist targets, despite constant complaints from Pakistan. After a stern warning from the U.S State Department, Pakistan had also launched a massive military offensive against the Taliban in the FATA region and have been on a constant lookout for their primary target, Baitullah Mehsud, who is considered to be the ‘most wanted man’ in Pakistan.
However, even with the successes achieved with the drone strikes, Pakistani government has expressed its anger at the violation of its airspace and states that, the unauthorized strikes undermines Pakistan’s sovereignty and stresses on the fact that, such strikes only escalate radical ideas amongst the population that turns into support for the Taliban.
In the last 24 hours, U.S drones have attacked twice on suspected targets, with the previous attack taking place in another part of South Waziristan, that killed 14 Taliban militants. Both Pakistan and the United States are using all their resources to find Baitullah Mehsud, who is known to be a close ally of Al-Qaeda. In an effort to intensify their search, U.S authorities have put up a $5 million bounty for any information that would lead to Baitullah’s location and a subsequent arrest.
Via Reuters.
