Villagers claim casualties as Pakistan bombs al-Qaeda stronghold of North Waziristan
Villagers claim casualties as Pakistan bombs al-Qaeda stronghold of North Waziristan - World News
PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Pakistani jets bombed the restive tribal region of North Waziristan on Tuesday after a wave of suicide bomb attacks against government security forces.
It was the first military operation in the region since 2007 when the Pakistani government signed a peace deal with local Taliban leaders.
North Waziristan is considered a stronghold of al-Qaeda and other militant groups. The Pakistani military said the strikes on the Mir Ali region were pinpoint attacks based on confirmed intelligence.
But according to villagers the airstrikes had hit residential areas and killed 15 innocent civilians, including women, children, and elderly people.
Mohibullah Khan, a resident of Esori village, said the jets started heavy bombardment early Tuesday and flattened several houses in Esori, Hasu Khel and Haider Khel villages.
Another villager, Sharifullah, said the majority of the villagers spent their night in the open because of their villages were being bombed.
Local officials imposed a curfew and told people to stay indoors until further notice.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a military official said the operation had featured "pinpoint strikes" and added that reports of civilian deaths were "not established."
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sparked speculation that a military operation was imminent by canceling his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos on Sunday after the Taliban attacked an army convoy and killed 20 soldiers, Reuters reported.