Officials: U.S. Drone Kills 6 in Pakistan

Missile Attack on Suspected Militant Compound in South Waziristan near Afghan Border

(AP)  A suspected U.S. drone fired two missiles at a militant hide-out in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least six people and wounding nine, intelligence officials said.

The missiles were fired at a compound in South Waziristan, a rugged, lawless region close to the Afghan border, said the two Pakistani officials on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed in South Waziristan in a similar strike on Aug. 5.

The region is now under the control of his close aide, Waliur Rehman.

There were conflicting claims as to the identities of the dead.

One of the intelligence officials said they were believed to be militants from Uzbekistan. Pakistani Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq called the Associated Press soon after the attack and said that women and children were the only victims.

Neither claim could be independently verified. The attack was in a remote area of the tribal region, which is off-limits to journalists and largely under Taliban control. In the past, both the government and Taliban have passed on information that was not true.

The missiles hit in the Kani Guram area of South Waziristan. The same area was targeted in a missile attack on Aug. 11 that killed eight people, intelligence officials said at the time.

The attack came two days after Rehman and another top commander, Hakimullah Mehsud, acknowledged Baitullah was dead, ending weeks of public denials. In the same telephone call to The Associated Press, they announced that Hakimullah was the new leader of the movement, while Rehman was in charge of South Waziristan.

Pakistani officials sought to portray the movement as in disarray since the killing of Baitullah, reporting that Rehman and Hakimullah engaged in a shootout over who should be the next leader. The men denied any split in the movement.

The United States has launched more than 40 missile strikes from unmanned planes on al Qaeda and Taliban targets close to the Afghan border since last year, reportedly killing several top commanders, but also civilians. It does not comment on the attacks.

The missiles are fired from CIA-operated drones believed to be launched from Afghanistan or from secret bases inside Pakistan. They are reported to be piloted by operatives inside the United States.

The Pakistani government publicly protests the attacks, though is assumed to be cooperating with the strikes and providing intelligence for them. It has called on Washington to give the technology for such attacks to Islamabad because its military is capable of using the drones.

[steve54z]

The armed drone program failed in 1944. This technical version shows that same rate of error. The Rebels forward reprisals against Civilians and Americans for the silent attacks. NATO refuses to install Afghanis as military leaders in key districts. Pakistan is constantly harassed by the flights. The Allies strategically carved Germany in 1945 to end the Nazi war. NATO has every tactical and technology advantage.

[mysteriousjz]

May God ease the hellfire on souls and souls-to-be of those extremists and their supporters who condone war crimes against humanity-Massive airstrikes, massive ground assaults, drone attacks, extrajudicial killings and torture, target assasinations.......

May God ease the hellfire on departed souls and one-day-to-be souls of neo-crusaders, and on those of who condone bombing people of the mudhouses, and on those of who legitimize the brutal and barbaric attacks and slaughter of indigenous people with nothing but their faith and determination......

May God show the right path to the cowards, sitting fortified behind all might; and yet are afraid and paranoid of helpless indigenous people of a land with improvised guns, and on donkeys, and a world away-Only God's fear shall prevail.....

May God be forever with innocent people who are paying with their blood for a "bruise" that does not exist........

[mjlewis6]

The leasing of Columbian bases for American Contractors to assist the Columbian Military in efforts against drug smugglers and coca manufacture.....seems like a great idea until President Chavez of Venezuela makes noise about stationing of US TROOPS in Columbia. AINT' going to happen, Chavez....unless you have something to hide.

The same kind of technology flying over the jungles of Columbia should NOT BE SEEING FARC and Venezuelan military cooperation in the
shipment and production of illegal drugs to the US...but you can be sure of the response in Washington...will be troops. So President Chavez....when the proof shows up on the drone video...you will get your worst scenario because it has been YOU ALL ALONG shipping / providing material support to the drug trade.

I will bet anything that the cocaine submarines which have been intercepted on the East and West Coast....were manufactured in your country. I am thinking metallurgical evidence pretty much points at the origin of manufacture...

If the Taliban are having a hell of a time getting it together...you can be sure your Presidential Office already has GPS identifiers, no laser pointer necessary, should the evidence be paramount and personal.

[afmcalax]

Why is this news. Why not report that soldiers fired their weapons today or a fighter jet took off, or a helicopter transported some troops? Since alQaeda and the Taliban are known to hide behind the skirts of their women some "civilian" casualties are inevitable. You must look at the larger picture. Once we get past the fact that a drone fired a missle into a hostile area of Pakistan, the rest of the article contains useless dribble.