Pakistani officials: Suspected US drone kills 12

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Pakistani officials: Suspected US drone kills 12

By RASOOL DAWAR, Associated Press Writer Rasool Dawar, Associated Press Writer –

40 mins ago

MIR ALI, Pakistan – Suspected U.S. unmanned aircraft fired on a house in

Pakistan's volatile tribal region Sunday, killing at least a dozen people in an

area hit by a surge of such strikes since the beginning of the year,

intelligence officials said.

Four missiles slammed into a building in the Shaktoi area of South Waziristan

that intelligence officials said was used by Uzbek militants fighting with the

Pakistani Taliban. A suspected drone strike in the same area on Thursday

targeted a meeting of militant commanders in an apparently unsuccessful attempt

to kill the Pakistani Taliban's chief.

Sunday's drone strike was the 10th since the beginning of the year, an

unprecedented volley of attacks since the CIA-led program began two years ago.

The strikes have targeted both North and South Waziristan, areas dominated by

Taliban and al-Qaida militants waging war against both the Pakistani government

and coalition troops in nearby Afghanistan.

There were conflicting reports about how many people were killed in Sunday's

strike. One pair of intelligence officials said 12 people died, while another

two said 15 people were killed. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity

because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The U.S. does not usually comment on the drone strikes or their targets, but

officials have said in the past that they have taken out several senior al-Qaida

and Taliban leaders.

While the Pakistani government publicly condemns the strikes as violations of

its sovereignty, it is thought to have a secret deal with Washington allowing

them. Pakistani criticism has been especially muted when the drones have

targeted militants who pose a threat to the state, such as Pakistani Taliban

chief Hakimullah Mehsud.

The militant leader issued an audio message Saturday denying he had been killed

in the Jan. 14 drone strike that Pakistani intelligence officials said targeted

him in Shaktoi, an area along the border between North and South Waziristan.

" Let me clarify that I was neither wounded nor martyred in this attack, nor was

I present in this attack, " said Mehsud in a message that Pakistani Taliban

spokesman Azam Tariq played for an Associated Press reporter. The reporter

recognized the voice as Mehsud's.

He said he composed the message because a similar one issued Friday that did not

specifically reference the attack was met with doubt that it really proved he

was alive.

" A panic among mujahideen forced me to issue this new message, " said Mehsud.

Some analysts suspect the recent increase in drone strikes in North and South

Waziristan is tied to the Dec. 30 suicide attack at a remote base across the

border in Afghanistan that killed seven CIA employees. Mehsud appeared in a

video alongside the Jordanian man who carried out the attack in Khost province.

The Obama administration's increased reliance on drone strikes has also been

driven by the Pakistani government's reluctance to target militants staging

cross-border attacks against U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. One of the

most dangerous groups is the Haqqani network, an Afghan Taliban faction based in

North Waziristan that is allied with al-Qaida.

Pakistani officials say they have their hands full battling the Pakistani

Taliban and other militants waging war against the state and can't afford to

open up any new fronts.

The Pakistani army launched a major ground offensive against the Pakistani

Taliban's main stronghold in South Waziristan in mid-October, but many of the

militants fled ahead of the fighting and have been launching attacks throughout

the country. More than 600 people have been killed in the past three months.

On Sunday, gunmen shot and killed an anti-Taliban tribal elder in the Bajur

tribal area, said local official Abdul Haseeb. Gunmen sprayed Malik Abdul

Qayum's car with bullets in the main town of Khar, killing him and wounding his

cousin, they said.

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Associated Press writer Ishtiaq Mahsud contributed to this report from Dera

Ismail Khan.