February 11, 2009 2:05 PM
- Text
U.S. Strikes Said To Kill Militant Leader
(CBS/ AP)
U.S. missile strikes on Friday targeting locations in Pakistan's tribal areas were "unlikely to cause a major upset to militant activity in the region" in spite of the killing of an al Qaeda field commander of Iraqi origin, senior Pakistani security officials and diplomats said in their first assessments.
The killing of Abu Akash, the al Qaeda field commander, was first seen as a significant hit to the militant outfit which has made the Pak-Afghan border region its main battleground against troops from Pakistan, the U.S. and NATO member countries.
But a few hours after the attack, a senior Pakistani security official told CBS News' Farhan Bokhari that the killing made little difference to the organization's ability to continue to wage its campaign.
Intelligence officials said that suspected U.S. missiles hit two houses in northwest Pakistan, killing 27 people.
Two missiles were fired Friday into Mir Ali village in North Waziristan after drones had been flying overhead for several hours, the officials said, citing reports from agents and informers in the area.
They said 20 people were killed in the attack, but their identifies were unknown.
The first missile hit the house frequented by the Arab militant, while seconds later another blew up a car parked close by, the officials said.
A local Taliban commander told CBS News there was no presence of a "high-value target" in the alleged missile strike.
A second house in northwest Pakistan was hit late Friday, killing seven including suspected foreign militants. That strike took place in Kari Kot in South Waziristan.
Pakistan's privately-owned GEO TV reported that at least 33 people were killed in the attacks.
Suspected U.S. unmanned planes have fired at militant targets in Pakistan at least 16 times since mid-August.
The United States rarely confirms or denies firing the missiles and the identities of those killed are also rarely made public.
But the marked up-tick in their frequency is straining America's seven-year alliance with Pakistan, where rising violence is exacerbating economic problems gnawing at the nuclear-armed country's stability.
"One Abu Akash dies and I am sure there is another to take his place," the Pakistani official said, sharing his first assessment on the condition of anonymity with CBS News. "His killing may be significant but not backbreaking for al Qaeda."
Arab and Western diplomats based in Islamabad concurred with the assessment, though they emphasized that the U.S. campaign had intensified pressure on fighters from al Qaeda and the Taliban who until recently saw the largely mountainous Pak-Afghan region as an ideal ground for staging a guerrilla-type resistance.
Pakistani officials said Abu Akash had operated in the North Waziristan region for years, moving with relative ease in the company of a small group of well-armed bodyguards.
"The killing of this man will demonstrate to others that you can't just go about defying the dangers. Others will think twice before they decide to stay at any one place for more than a day or two," said the anonymous security official.
A Western diplomat who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said Abu Akash's killing may suggest that the U.S. was making better progress in locating and targeting such suspects in spite of a growing number of Pakistani protests against the use of pilot- less drones.
Pakistan says the strikes are violations of its sovereignty and insists it is tackling the militants, pointing out an ongoing military offensive just north of Waziristan that has killed some 1,500 insurgents.
On Wednesday, the Pakistani foreign ministry summoned U.S. ambassador Ann Patterson to protest the continued use of pilot-less planes to attack sites on Pakistani soil.
U.S. officials have regretted the loss of innocent lives in such attacks, but have said they reserve the right to protect U.S. troops stationed in neighbouring Afghanistan from militant attacks. U.S. officials continue to urge Pakistan to take a tougher line against al Qaeda and Taliban militants who they say operate from Pakistani soil, and allegedly stage attacks on U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Suicide Attack Against Police Official
On Friday a suicide bomber attacked a police chief outside his house in the northwestern city of Mardan, missing him but killing three other officers and five civilians, officials said.
The suicide attacker, who was on foot, hit the first vehicle in a convoy as it emerged from the police chief's residence in the city, but the officer was in another car behind the gate.
"I was the target but such attacks cannot stop us from doing our duty," said the chief, Akhtar Ali Shah.
TV footage showed a badly damaged police pickup truck just outside the police chief's residence and rescue workers loading bloodied survivors into ambulances.
There have been more than 90 suicide attacks on civilian, military and Western targets since July last year, killing nearly 1,200 people, according to military statistics.
The killing of Abu Akash, the al Qaeda field commander, was first seen as a significant hit to the militant outfit which has made the Pak-Afghan border region its main battleground against troops from Pakistan, the U.S. and NATO member countries.
But a few hours after the attack, a senior Pakistani security official told CBS News' Farhan Bokhari that the killing made little difference to the organization's ability to continue to wage its campaign.
Intelligence officials said that suspected U.S. missiles hit two houses in northwest Pakistan, killing 27 people.
Two missiles were fired Friday into Mir Ali village in North Waziristan after drones had been flying overhead for several hours, the officials said, citing reports from agents and informers in the area.
They said 20 people were killed in the attack, but their identifies were unknown.
The first missile hit the house frequented by the Arab militant, while seconds later another blew up a car parked close by, the officials said.
A local Taliban commander told CBS News there was no presence of a "high-value target" in the alleged missile strike.
A second house in northwest Pakistan was hit late Friday, killing seven including suspected foreign militants. That strike took place in Kari Kot in South Waziristan.
Pakistan's privately-owned GEO TV reported that at least 33 people were killed in the attacks.
Suspected U.S. unmanned planes have fired at militant targets in Pakistan at least 16 times since mid-August.
The United States rarely confirms or denies firing the missiles and the identities of those killed are also rarely made public.
But the marked up-tick in their frequency is straining America's seven-year alliance with Pakistan, where rising violence is exacerbating economic problems gnawing at the nuclear-armed country's stability.
"One Abu Akash dies and I am sure there is another to take his place," the Pakistani official said, sharing his first assessment on the condition of anonymity with CBS News. "His killing may be significant but not backbreaking for al Qaeda."
Arab and Western diplomats based in Islamabad concurred with the assessment, though they emphasized that the U.S. campaign had intensified pressure on fighters from al Qaeda and the Taliban who until recently saw the largely mountainous Pak-Afghan region as an ideal ground for staging a guerrilla-type resistance.
Pakistani officials said Abu Akash had operated in the North Waziristan region for years, moving with relative ease in the company of a small group of well-armed bodyguards.
"The killing of this man will demonstrate to others that you can't just go about defying the dangers. Others will think twice before they decide to stay at any one place for more than a day or two," said the anonymous security official.
A Western diplomat who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said Abu Akash's killing may suggest that the U.S. was making better progress in locating and targeting such suspects in spite of a growing number of Pakistani protests against the use of pilot- less drones.
Pakistan says the strikes are violations of its sovereignty and insists it is tackling the militants, pointing out an ongoing military offensive just north of Waziristan that has killed some 1,500 insurgents.
On Wednesday, the Pakistani foreign ministry summoned U.S. ambassador Ann Patterson to protest the continued use of pilot-less planes to attack sites on Pakistani soil.
U.S. officials have regretted the loss of innocent lives in such attacks, but have said they reserve the right to protect U.S. troops stationed in neighbouring Afghanistan from militant attacks. U.S. officials continue to urge Pakistan to take a tougher line against al Qaeda and Taliban militants who they say operate from Pakistani soil, and allegedly stage attacks on U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Suicide Attack Against Police Official
On Friday a suicide bomber attacked a police chief outside his house in the northwestern city of Mardan, missing him but killing three other officers and five civilians, officials said.
The suicide attacker, who was on foot, hit the first vehicle in a convoy as it emerged from the police chief's residence in the city, but the officer was in another car behind the gate.
"I was the target but such attacks cannot stop us from doing our duty," said the chief, Akhtar Ali Shah.
TV footage showed a badly damaged police pickup truck just outside the police chief's residence and rescue workers loading bloodied survivors into ambulances.
There have been more than 90 suicide attacks on civilian, military and Western targets since July last year, killing nearly 1,200 people, according to military statistics.
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