[warrgazur]

Knn only 25 kill??

Published: February 14, 2009
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Two missiles fired from American drone aircraft killed at least 25 people, including Arab and Uzbek fighters of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, in South Waziristan on Saturday morning, according to a Pakistani intelligence official and local residents.

The attack was on three compounds, including one where the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, and foreign and local fighters loyal to him sometimes gather, according to the official and residents.

Mr. Mehsud, one of the most feared leaders in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas, was not among those killed, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Mr. Mehsud, a Pakistani, has fought the government openly in the past, and government and intelligence officials say forces loyal to him continue to attack Pakistani troops outside South Waziristan, in the Swat Valley and the Bajaur and Mohmand tribal areas.

He is considered responsible for many of the suicide attacks in Pakistan last year; the previous government, led by Pervez Musharraf, also accused Mr. Mehsud in the killing of Benazir Bhutto, a former Pakistani prime minister.

If Mr. Mehsud was the target of the attack, it would be the first time that American missiles were aimed at him, the intelligence official said.

American missile attacks by remotely piloted aircraft have generally been aimed at foreign Qaeda fighters and Taliban guerrillas from Afghanistan, who take shelter in Pakistan between raids into their country to fight American and NATO soldiers.

It was unclear if any civilians were killed Saturday.

The attack followed a visit to Pakistan last week by Richard C. Holbrooke, the special American envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, that was part of a top-to-bottom review of American policy in the region ordered by President Obama.

During his visit, Mr. Holbrooke heard a litany of complaints about the drone strikes, some of which have inadvertently killed civilians, making it harder for the country’s shaky government to win support for its own military operations against the Taliban.

The drone attack also comes after a statement in Congress on Friday by Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California and the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, that the aircraft take off from a base in Pakistan.

“As I understand it, these are flown out of a Pakistani base,” Ms. Feinstein said during a hearing attended by the director of United States national intelligence, Adm. Dennis C. Blair.

The drone attacks, especially in the last six months, have increased anti-American sentiment in Pakistan to very high levels, and Ms. Feinstein’s statement is likely to further inflame the protests over them. Her statement was prominently covered by the Pakistani press on Saturday morning.

Although many Pakistanis have accused their government of giving quiet approval for the United States to strike inside the tribal areas, they also assumed that the strikes came from Afghanistan.

Since the beginning of 2008, the American drones have carried out nearly 30 missile attacks against Qaeda and Taliban targets in the tribal areas, according to a report by the Council of Foreign Relations in Washington.

Two missile attacks just days after President Obama was inaugurated indicated that his administration, at least for now, planned to continue the policy of the Bush administration.

The compounds that were hit Saturday were in the village of Shwangai, near the town of Makeen. The village is about 60 miles from the Afghan border.

A resident of the area said that bodies were still being recovered from the debris hours after the attack. “The bodies of the dead were charred beyond recognition,” said Khan Zaman, a resident of nearby Makeen.

The attack was the fourth in the area under the control of Mr. Mehsud, although none of the others were believed to have had him as a target. In a strike last November, Khalid Habib, described as the fourth-ranking person in the Qaeda hierarchy, was killed.

Most of these attacks have occurred since September, when President Asif Ali Zardari took power.

[nuabuncarnigo]

Obama just creating a lil drama, while pandering to his muslim masters

[Trissinas]

Why don't you join them and kill even more while munching on your filthy pork floss you Chinese pig?

[warrgazur]

Why don't you join them and kill even more while munching on your filthy pork floss you Chinese pig?

I am a keiling

[Psymoussy]

I am a keiling

Playing mind game?

We all know u are a keling. A born again keling Christian Missionary, whos mission is to hurl vulgarities and slandering Islam and its Prophet.

Oh yes! You are a Clone too. ILOVEPORK aka ILOVELAMB.

[Psymoussy]

Why don't you join them and kill even more while munching on your filthy pork floss you Chinese pig?

This ILOVEPORK is a chap cheng kia! Hindus do take pork but not many. This one is a born again Indian Christian. So can take pork. Gurmit Singh take pork too, u know.

[chodeasyday]

I am a keiling

Just like I am a chink