Wednesday, May 12, 2010

At least fourteen people in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region have been killed in drone strikes earlier today by suspected US unmanned aircraft.

The attacks happened in the Dattakhel village, located near the Afghanistan border; as many as eighteen missiles were fired at targets, according to security authorities. A local intelligence official said that “Three missiles hit a vehicle and three militants sitting in it were killed.”

A nearby compound used by rebels was also attacked; around a dozen missiles were fired by drones. The dead in that attack are alleged to have been fighters. A reporter for Al Jazeera says the strikes lasted from twenty to 25 minutes.

“The militants have cordoned off the area. So far they’ve retrieved 11 bodies from the debris. The death toll may rise because the militants are still searching for bodies,” an unnamed security official commented.