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The Associated Press, citing Pakistani intelligence officials, reports the missile attack killed four militants, three of them Arabs.
Original story from Reuters:
MIRANSHAH, Pakistan -- A suspected U.S. drone aircraft fired missiles at a house on the outskirts of the town of Miranshah in the North Waziristan tribal region on Wednesday, killing at least three militants, local intelligence officials said.
There was no independent confirmation of the incident. Militants often dispute official versions of such attacks and death tolls.
This is the first such strike since Nov. 17 last year, and comes at a time when anti-U.S. sentiment in Pakistan is running high after a Nov. 26 NATO cross-border air attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Drones armed with missiles have played a significant role in U.S. counter-terrorism operations, as the Obama administration winds down the war in Afghanistan, and Washington's focus expands to militant havens in countries including Pakistan.
The United States vacated a remote air base, used to stage classified drone flights against militants, in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province last month. Pakistan had asked U.S. forces to leave the base after the November air strike.
U.S. officials say the unmanned drone programme decimated the central leadership of al Qaeda and put associated militant groups on the defensive.
Many such groups operate in Pakistan's unruly northwestern tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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If we keep this up, Pakistan is going to declare war on us.
I bet the dummies were shooting at the thing, and it fired back.
Other story said the terrorist were not scared anymore, since the drons were not shooting, butthey were still active in surveillance in N pakistan/afhgan border.
good we have to many people on planet any how
I think they made that clear a long time ago when they assist the Taliban; the savages that attacked us on 9/11
That would be a very stupid thing for Pakistan to do. We have a right to kill terrorists wherever and whenever we find them! Don't forget 9/11!!!!
How many nations Pakistan would go to war?
It appears that all world Islamic militants have centers in Pakistan. Here three were Arabs.
Instead of drones, carpet bomb the whole militant areas and nuke areas like in 1991 Iraq. This will be least cost effective solution.
Not to worry, Iran did it with the the downed drone they have been showing off. Their ''scientist'' figured out how to control it and refit it from a spying to bombing drone. LOL
Why suspecting a US Drone? It's a fact that CIA has used drones to assassinate Pakistani people who the CIA thinks is a threat to US security. Also as a matter of fact, the CIA has used drones to assassinate disloyal Americans living abroad.
Not too long ago, America represented peace, charity, and goodness. Today, America has become the cold-blood global killer. America has become the perverted land of the lawless and blood-thirsty killers.
In less than 100 years, today's America government has degenerated into war machine delivering death and destruction around the world, killing wantonly and indiscriminately women, children and men. In generations to come, the surviving children and grandchildren of the victims of US hate will have exacted their revenge on the next generations of American children and their grandchildren.
In their selfish pursuit, the American war mongers and profiteers have unleashed a vicious cycle of death and destruction upon America and the world.
FatCatGets$700Bil.....................listen closely. Is that humming sound a predator drone overhead?
Sounds good to me!
If Pakistan can't or won't keep control of their territories, I'm afraid we can't just sit around waiting for the next 9/11. I don't like the intrusion in Pakistani airspace but it is the lesser of two evils for us.
Amen!~ Keep em flying! The good news is that these three dead muslims won't be around in order to try a terror attack on America....
In the long list of enemies of Islamic radicals and militants, Amerika is number 1!
Either get them at the source or they will get us in our homes right in the US, Britain, European nations and other non-Muslim nations.
I remember a promise that as a father whose childrens lives like many others were changed on 911 and haunted by the months of media coverage after. From a life of security, faught and sacrifced by others before us and intrusted to us, changed to fear of something they could see as real. That no matter what I did or said I could never protect them from or truely make them believe that we are all safe. That promise that they heard and took to heart to hunt down all terrorist no matter where they were. Was the only thing I had to insure to my children when I tucked them in at night that they had nothing to fear because the bad men were being caught.
I may want our troops home like many other parents whose same sons or daughters are now Marines or serving other branches of the service. But we as a nation owe it to those now willing to put their lives on the line. So their children will never feel that fear of real bad men when they tuck them in at night. If that means in the way we interact with the world. Or overthrow governments who harbor terrorist. Or fly drones in the face of a nation who protest it. While they, don't, won't or can't, do anything about their terrorist overun country.
Then that is what we must do no matter the bitterness or brutality of the road that takes us there. We owe it to all the future generations to rid this world of mass suicide killers in any and all ways that we can. Even if it means targeting a whole religion. Who has targeted many innocent people just because of religious indifference. Has proclaimed they will never stop until they reach their goal. Our commitment to stop them must be stronger than theirs or in the end they will win. Drone them to death!
Killing people from a drone must be fun for psychopaths ... we will pay for this someday and the yahoos will still be scratching their heads and wondering why the heavens have not darkened
Are not blowing/killing/kidnapping innocents in streets just because they follow other religions or sects with fancy labels like jihad, acts of religious beasts gone mad and berserk?
How do you handle beasts, especially if they happen to be one-way street Islamic ones? These religious beasts have only become cruder, deadlier and far and wide all over the world!
Read http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-30405-drone-kills-four-militants-in-miranshah -last US drone attack in the Tribal area was first since Nov.2011 and the US helicopters killing 26 Pakistani soldiers as terrorists. Yhe Khyber Pass to Aghanistan is closed for materials .
UN helicopters.
Pakistan doesn't have the courage to declare war on the USA, We should hunt the terrorist anywhere we need to. I thought we gave them aid to fight these terrorist. Kicked the USA out of Pakistan but let in and hide the terrorist. Pakistan is not our ally, they are two-face user scum.
Replace "scum" with "Islamic religious mad beasts, who have become curses on earth."
Pakistan is still cleaning egg off of their face over BL. They hid him, we found him. Period. You can bet the drones played a part in that operation, and now they want the drones out of their airspace and demanded the US to leave the base in Pakistan where drones were kept. Does anybody else find it strange that just about the time we cut off $$$$ to Pakistan that there is an "incident" on the border that kills Pakistan soldiers? An incident that Pakistan refuses to take part in the investigation, yet they continue to point the finger at US- Look at the time line of the major incidents since killing BL- see a pattern???
The problem with using drones for missle strikes is that you'll never achieve a victory. As the article states, the leadership has been decimated. I'll take that statement with a grain of salt. The fact is, there will always someone to take their place. You'll never get them all.
The second problem is that these strikes cause collateral damage in a region that's already sympathetic to their cause. Not part of - just sympathetic. Killing civilians just fuels anger at the United States and creates a prime environment to recruit more followers.
To me, the best solution would be to pull back and focus more of intelligence gathering. I'd rather see more operations like the one that took out Osama bin Laden than missle strikes. Improved intelligence gathering will help make this happen.
Good shot. There is no bag limit for the Taliban Hunting Club. Happy hunting and best wishes.