Amazing strike kills 25 Militants.

[Sgt Automatic]

Sat Feb 14, 1:24 PM



21

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By Hafiz Wazir

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WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. missile attack killed at least 25 al Qaeda-linked militants in a Pakistani tribal region on Saturday, security and Taliban officials said, the highest death toll of militants in a single such strike.


The strike by pilotless drones in the South Waziristan region on the Afghan border was the third such attack since U.S. President Barack Obama took office last month and could ignite fresh popular anger in Pakistan over the cross-border raids from Afghanistan.


The Taliban official said those killed were mostly Uzbek fighters.


"Our people have informed us that at least 25 people were killed. It could be more," the official told Reuters. A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said 25 to 30 people were killed.


A senior security official said there appeared to be no senior al Qaeda figure among the dead.


Missiles hit a sprawling house used by the militants as a training camp in the Zangari area in the South Waziristan region. Zangari is around 70 km (45 miles) north of the region's main town of Wana.


"Around 50 to 60 mujahideen have been living there for about a week. All of them were Uzbeks," the Taliban official added.


Intelligence officials confirmed the incident.


FORTRESS-LIKE HOUSE


The Taliban official said the militants had set up tents in the lawns of the fortress-like house and were undergoing training there when the missiles hit.


The militants have cordoned off the area and no one was allowed near the site of the strike, an intelligence official said.


Waziristan is the power base of Baituallah Mehsud, leader of the Pakistani Taliban and an al Qaeda ally, who is also accused of involvement in the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007.


Frustrated over what it sees as Pakistan's failure to stem the flow of al Qaeda and Taliban militants from its lawless tribal regions into Afghanistan, the United States stepped up cross-border attacks last year.


U.S. drones carried out about 30 missile attacks on suspected militants in 2008, according to a Reuters tally, more than half after the beginning of September.


The attacks killed more than 220 people, including foreign militants, according to a tally of reports from Pakistani intelligence agents, district government officials and residents.


Pakistan does not officially confirm the strikes but has said they violate the country's sovereignty and increase resentment toward the Pakistani government and the United States.


Obama said this week there was no doubt terrorists were operating in safe havens in the tribal regions of Pakistan, and the United States wanted to make sure Islamabad was a strong ally in fighting that threat.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower who was elected to office last year, told CBS in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday that the Taliban had established itself across a large part of Pakistan, forcing the country to fight a war that was about Pakistan's own survival.

(Additional reporting by Alamgir Bitani; Writing by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by Charles Dick)

 

[kidwaibhai]

this is now fact that we are helping with intelligence when it comes to these strikes. i think the government should own up to this and send a message to all the extremist elements that we will target if you violate the writ of the state.

 

[Sgt Automatic]

this is now fact that we are helping with intelligence when it comes to these strikes. i think the government should own up to this and send a message to all the extremist elements that we will target if you violate the writ of the state.

I agree with you 100%, pakistan should start taking credit for the good stuff like this as long as there are no civillian casulties. Its just that even very little collateral damage is too much for the pakistani govt to take the blame for. Because they would go out of their way to protect its people and use every method such as actually using men to infiltrate these positions instead of using bombs which could kill the innocent. I think what Pakistani Govt needs to do is explain to their people that they are at war with these guys, and collateral damage is an unfortunate by product of it.

I am pretty sure if Pakistani people start to take the govts side, that these militants need to be eradicated, than it would be alot easier to do such missions. As they can borrow predators or even work cooperativly with the US (with out bringing any US soldiers on their soil). Even more intelligence would be very help full.

Millitants are a guerilla force much like in the vietnam war. Although some of their missions are hit and run (here IED) but a much larger part of their doctrine (for the lack of better words) covers political and civillian support. Once they lose the support they have in the tribal regions, they will lose their war alot sooner, and also lose the man power which they recruit from these supporters.

 

[jehangirhaider]

Yes,Yes
kill them more,these militants....

 

[hasang20]

these people are not Militants for Allahs sake stop please they are fighting from Freedom in Afganistan US has killed over 3.4 Million Muslims they are Family members killed for no reseaon ; we should support them

i want to ask if one of your family member get killed in an American Air Strike i would like to ask how you guys fell 70% of the people on this forum watch too much of Indian Media and Pakistan Media mind controlling elements created by Jews.

 

[Awesome]

Amazing violation of our sovereignty.

 

[Unkowntruth]

I agree the U.S. has NO right to do any air strikes on Pakistan. It's the U.S. fault that Pakistan is even in the middle of this. I would love to see how they react, when someone violates their sovereignty. It's not a big deal when it's not happening to them,but It is a big deal when it is happening to them. The U.S. needs to back off, because those air strikes are meaningless. What they need to be worrying about is how they are getting their butt kicked in Afghanistan by the Taliban, who control over 70 percent of Afghanistan.

 

[hasang20]

Shamefull ; IF Pakistan is willing to go to WAR with US or even threating them to stop voilating our air space i am more than willing to volunterr and join the Army and i will scarifice my life

 

[TruthSeeker]

This was a tremendous hit! Congratulations to the CIA and ISI for nailing so many of the jihadi jerks at one time!! Great!! I hope the drones strike every day.

 

[Vinod2070]

The PA and GOP won't allow this if it was not in their interest too!

One has to respect their own sovereignty first before expecting others to do it.

The presence of all shades of terrorists there proves that was not the case!

 

[Awesome]

This was a tremendous hit! Congratulations to the CIA and ISI for nailing so many of the jihadi jerks at one time!! Great!! I hope the drones strike every day.

Where does it say this was done in conjunction with the ISI?

 

[TruthSeeker]

Where does it say this was done in conjunction with the ISI?

"IT" doesn't know WHO did it. A "pilotless" airplane or two was seen in the sky before explosions occurred in the houses. That's all we KNOW. So, maybe the CIA did it, maybe not. Maybe the ISI helped by supplying accurate and timely intelligence, maybe not. So, my "congratulations" was based on an assumption of competence on the part of both the CIA and ISI. But maybe, IT was done by RAW.....

 

[Awesome]

"IT" doesn't know WHO did it. A "pilotless" airplane or two was seen in the sky before explosions occurred in the houses. That's all we KNOW. So, maybe the CIA did it, maybe not. Maybe the ISI helped by supplying accurate and timely intelligence, maybe not. So, my "congratulations" was based on an assumption of competence on the part of both the CIA and ISI. But maybe, IT was done by RAW.....

Maybe the Americans just bombed Pakistanis.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Maybe the Americans just bombed Pakistanis.

Perhaps. If the CIA did it, as we both suspect is the truth of the matter, then the CIA bombed mortal enemies of both the United States and of Pakistan. If some were also Pakistanis, then they were treasonous Pakistanis and deserved their fate. If some were innocent folks just walking by, then that is very regrettable. However, the Pakistani news accounts say that this compound was very remote and heavily guarded by "Taliban". So, it is unlikely that there were any innocent villagers just walking by at the time of the explosions in the training compound buildings.

 

[Awesome]

Perhaps. If the CIA did it, as we both suspect is the truth of the matter, then the CIA bombed mortal enemies of both the United States and of Pakistan. If some were also Pakistanis, then they were treasonous Pakistanis and deserved their fate. If some were innocent folks just walking by, then that is very regrettable. However, the Pakistani news accounts say that this compound was very remote and heavily guarded by "Taliban". So, it is unlikely that there were any innocent villagers just walking by at the time of the explosions in the training compound buildings.

Fine we want the CIA CO handed over for trial for killing the one or two innocent Pakistanis. We will pass judgment if he or she did everything humanly possible to avoid civilian casualties. Do you agree oh friend of Pakistan, the killer of all treacherous Pakistanis?