US drone strike in North Waziristan kills 21 militants
July 7, Islamabad: The unmanned US aircraft fired two missiles at a camp in the district of Shawal, 50 km southwest of Miranshah, the main town in the tribal district of North Waziristan near the Afghan border, killing 21 militants in the first such attack since Pakistan reopened NATO supply routes to neighbouring Afghanistan.
It was also the second drone strike in North Waziristan Agency in a week. A US drone killed eight persons in Shawal area on July 1.
Lair of Al Qaeda in the region, this district is also a rear bases of the Afghan Taliban who are fighting the NATO force, led by the United States, on the other side of the border.
“Two missiles targeted the camp and killed 21 militants,” said AFP a security official. “The attack destroyed the house and caused a fire,” said another official.
The launching campaign of U.S. drones, launched in 2004 but has largely increased since 2008, especially after the arrival of Barack Obama in power, has accelerated in recent weeks after the NATO summit in Chicago in May, largely devoted to the Afghan conflict that has lasted over ten years.
The summit highlighted the continuing tensions between Washington and Islamabad, which prohibits the seven months since passage through its territory of supply trucks of NATO in Afghanistan, following a blunder by the latter that killed 24 soldiers Pakistan near the Afghan border.
Washington regularly accuses its ally Pakistan to lead a double play informally supporting the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan to protect its strategic interests, particularly in view of the planned departure of combat troops from NATO by the end of 2014.
News Gathered by India News
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