U.S. Missile Strike Kills 17 in Pakistan

Militant Training Facility and Communications Center Hit; Napolitano Meets with Gov't Officials in Islamabad

(AP)  U.S. missiles struck a training facility operated by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and a militant communication center Friday, killing 17 people and wounding 27 others, intelligence officials said.

The two attacks by drone aircraft took place in South Waziristan, a Mehsud stronghold close to the Afghan border where Pakistani troops are gearing up for a military offensive, two officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

They took place as U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano met government officials in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. She discussed topics of "mutual interest" with them, a U.S. Embassy spokesman said.

The drone attacks were the latest in more than 40 believed to have been carried out by the United States against militant targets in the border area since last August. Washington does not directly acknowledge being responsible for the attacks, which kill civilians as well as militants.

Most Pakistanis criticize the drone attacks, and Islamabad officially protests them as violations of its sovereignty. Still, most experts believe the government secretly approves of them and likely provides the United States with intelligence.

In one attack Friday, two missiles struck an abandoned seminary in the village of Mantoi that was being used by militants from Mehsud's group for training, the officials said. In the other strike, one missile hit an insurgent communications center in the nearby village of Kokat Khel, they said.

In total, 17 people were killed and 27 others were wounded, they said.

The attack came as U.S. Marines in neighboring Afghanistan pushed deeper in the southern Helmand province, a day after 4,000 Marines launched a major anti-Taliban offensive. Pakistan said it moved troops to the stretch of its border opposite Helmand to stop militants fleeing the American assault.

The United States wants Pakistan to crack down on militants on its side of the border, believing it essential to stabilizing Afghanistan eight years after the invasion that ousted the Taliban there.

The Pakistani military launched an offensive in the Swat region close to the border in early May and is currently gearing up for operations in South Waziristan to eliminate Mehsud, who has been blamed for a string of deadly suicide attacks across the country that have killed more than 100 people in the past month.

In neighboring North Waziristan on Friday, Pakistani warplanes bombed suspected militant hide-outs, killing at least four insurgents and wounding seven others, two more intelligence officials said.

Those airstrikes hit targets where Taliban fighters killed 16 government troops in an ambush earlier this week, the officials said, also speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The U.S. appears to be ramping up the pressure on Mehsud, who is viewed in Islamabad with growing alarm. Last week, the Taliban leader narrowly escaped a strike on a funeral for militants killed in an earlier drone attack. Eighty people died in the strike, although Mehsud escaped unharmed.

[sean58z]

Armed Drones do not work. The weapon can harass, but not hurt the enemy. Cameras do not matter. NATO freely deploys satellites and airplanes for surveillance. Barack Obama should issue the latest technology to Kabul and Islamabad for utilizing satellite systems.

[mysteriousjz]

Unfortunately, these atrocities committed against the people of mudhouses will backfire for sure...... we just have to wait and see...

[veteran71]

Just a continuation of the Bush/Cheney Crime Cartel's Wars for Profit on behalf of their Corporate Masters in the Military Industrial Complex and Big Oil, this time by Sleeper-Cell Neocon Nazi Rat Obama and the rest of the War Criminals in Washington.
Same Sh*t, Different Day.....

[trapbreaking]

Next time use a bigger missile.

.

[docpeter1953]

A nuke would work pretty good.

[tautomer]

Obama is back to killing civilians again, despite promises he would stop. He's also been reasserting his right to hold the Gitmo's indefinitely.

At least with the last guy we would inflict 50-100 enemy casualties for each American casualty. With Obama it's more like 1 American dead for each hostile dead.

[ajjaxtheleast]

If only we didn't tolerate from one that which we go to
war over with another some comments here would make sense.


And ,,,the ID winner of the day is,,,,,,,,,,,,

,,,,,,,,,,,,"Berkeley_Skirt_Lifter".

,,,possibly the year.

[ajjaxtheleast]

In describing the drone missile attacks,,,

Never "AN intelligence official said".,,,,

Only,,1:,,"intelligence officials said.."

,,,,,,2:,,"Two officials said.".

,,,,,,3:,,"They said.".

,,,,,,4:,,"Two more officials said.".

Having moral IQ's of 50 it's best to always have two
of your military intelligence officials standing
close together when talking to the press.

(Some military intelligence officials would require
three of them standing close together.)

[1notrub11]

Your comments are justified, but I hardly see that this is a special talent of military intelligence "officials".
No evidence of what makes them "officials"
And plenty of evidence elsewhere in the media reports of:
People who quote to the media that shouldn't be.
People who quote to the media that even say that they shouldn't be.
And people who quote to the media, that are likely just plain wrong.

It's all attention getting and, frankly if I was an "investigative" reporter, should be considered suspect.

[Sloughfoot]

"YES"!