Drone strikes, jets kill 16 in Waziristan

* Twin drone strikes kill nine including seven foreigners
* Officials say military finalising arrangements for Operation Rah-e-Nijat

PESHAWAR: Two suspected US drone attacks killed nine Taliban, while seven other militants were killed in air strikes and military action in different parts of Waziristan, officials said on Tuesday.

The first drone attack targeted the house of local Taliban commander Ifran Mehsud in Sararogha, a village northwest of Wana in South Waziristan.

“A missile from a US drone fired on the compound of Irfan Mehsud killed five militants and injured six,” said a security official in the area. He did not know if Irfan was among the dead.

The security official said the spy plane unloaded two missiles on the compound, adding that reports suggested three of the dead could be Uzbeks.

“The death toll may rise,” he told AFP. “The compound is completely destroyed and militants have surrounded the area.”

The other drone attack occurred around 7:30 pm at Danday Darpa Khel – four kilometres north of Miranshah in North Waziristan – killing four Afghan militants and wounding two others.

The house targeted belonged to Emarati, an Afghan national, and the Afghan militants killed in the missile attack were said to be from the Jalaluddin Haqqani group. Militants surrounded the area soon after the attack and were busy pulling their dead from the debris.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Air Force jet fighters bombed Taliban bunkers in Kotkai, killing three militants in the strike. The military also pounded the Makeen area with long-range artillery, destroying three hideouts and killing four militants, according to security officials.

“We are finalising arrangements for the launch of Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path of Salvation) against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in South Waziristan,” the officials added.

Local tribes said the government should let civilians leave the areas before the military moved in and launched an operation. staff report / afp

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