Drone strikes kill militants, others kill the innocent.
January 18, 2013
At around 8.30am. yesterday, a Pakistan Army gunship helicopter appeared in the skies above Hassukhel, a small village in Tehsil Mir Ali, North Waziristan. The helicopter descended above a house and started firing indiscriminately.
According to reports by the locals, at least twenty five people were killed, with most of the deceased comprising predominantly of women and children.
My friend’s aunt lived in the said village. As she saw the helicopter open fire, she instantly worried about her buffalo, her only source of income. Thus, she ran towards the animal and tried to lead it inside. Unfortunately she could not gain shelter in time and the fire from the helicopter shot her and the buffalo.
When her children – both under ten years of age – saw their beloved mother writhing in pain beside the dead animal, they ran towards her in panic.
The gunship helicopter, oblivious to all of this, continued to fire.
The two children, a boy and a girl were shot while they were trying to rescue their mother.
The girl died on the spot, whereas the boy is still struggling to live. Their mother, too, is under critical care with meager hopes of survival.
“Drones strike with a lot of precision,” he explained, “they mostly kill the terrorists, and we are happy with that. It’s our army that fires indiscriminately. What was the crime of these children and their mother? Who are they defending? What are they doing?’ he asked before cursing the people responsible.
Drone strikes kill militants, others kill the innocent – The Express Tribune Blog
