1
PESHAWAR: US drones struck a hideout in tehsil Dattakhel of North Waziristan Agency in the early hours of Wednesday, leaving 10 people dead.
Sources said four missiles were fired on the hideout in Lowara Mandi area of Dattakhel along the border with Afghanistan.
The inmates were asleep when the attack happened at around 3.30am and one of the missiles also hit their vehicle laden with arms and ammunition.
They said the hideout was destroyed when the vehicle exploded.
Local people, who carried out the rescue work, said the vehicle and the compound caught fire soon after the attack. The bodies retrieved from the rubble were beyond recognition.
They said US drones kept flying over Lowara Mandi area, 65km west of Miramshah, long after the attack.
It may be mentioned that most residents of Dhagan, Mohammad Khel, Boya and Manzar Khel have migrated to Afghanistan, apparently because of house-to-house search being carried out in Dattakhel.
The Pakistan Army has been carrying out Operation Zarb-i-Azb in North Waziristan since June 15.
The sources said that jets and helicopter gunships were pounding suspected hideouts in the area, leaving several militants killed or injured.
Official sources said most of Dattakhel had been cleared of militants and security forces were advancing to other suspected areas.
AFP adds: “US drones fired two missiles each at a compound and a vehicle,” a security official said.
“There are two Uzbeks among the dead militants,” the official said, adding that the vehicle was near the compound when missiles hit it.
Security officials in Bannu and Miramshah confirmed the drone attack and casualties.
The foreign ministry in a statement condemned the drone attack.
“Pakistan regards such strikes as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said.
“The government of Pakistan also believes that with the decisive action being taken against terrorist elements in North Waziristan, there is no need for such strikes. We, therefore, urge for a cessation of such strikes.”
Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2014
