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| U.S. drone strike kills 21 suspected militants in Pakistan |
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 Local Taliban and al-Qaida militants and foreigners thought to be among dead after house in border region North Waziristan hit by droneA U.S. drone fired two missiles into Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region on the Afghan border on Wednesday, killing at least 21 suspected militants including foreigners, local officials said, in one of the biggest attacks in weeks. The drone targeted a house 3km (two miles) east of Miranshah, the main town of the region, known to be a hotbed for Taliban and al-Qaida militants. The "dead included local Taliban as well as some Arabs and Uzbek nationals," one intelligence official in North Waziristan said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. It was not known immediately if any high-profile militants were among the dead. Militants often dispute official account of such strikes. Initial reports said five militants were killed in the attack, but officials said the toll had gone up to 21 after more bodies were found from the rubble of the house. Drone strikes have been a major source of friction between the U.S. and Pakistan, with ties at their worst since U.S. Special Forces killed al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden in a secret raid in a Pakistani garrison town in May. While Pakistan publicly opposes the strikes, it has privately allowed them and has cooperated with the U.S. determining targets. But since the May commando raid, which Pakistan considers a grievous breach of sovereignty, the powerful head of the army, General Ashfaq Kayani, has called for a halt. Washington appears determined to press forward with drone attacks, which it sees as an effective tool to stem cross-border attacks by militants on foreign forces in Afghanistan. (Source: Guardian.co.uk)   Socialize this Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay in touch and receive all of TT updates right in your feed reader
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