A recent U.S. missile strike in Pakistan's tribal region killed three
Egyptians linked to the Haqqani network, including one who played a key
role in handling the militant group's finances, Pakistani intelligence
officials said Sunday.
The three men were killed Friday when a
drone fired missiles at a car near Miran Shah, the main town in North
Waziristan, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to talk to the media. A fourth person
was also killed but has not been identified.
U.S. intelligence
believes the Haqqanis are the top threat to security in Afghanistan and
that they enjoy the support of the Pakistani army. It wants the army to
sever its ties and attack the group, something that Islamabad refuses to
do.
The issue is a main cause of tension between the two
countries, and Pakistan's reluctance to cooperate has prompted the U.S.
to step up missile strikes against the Haqqani network in the group's
safe haven in North Waziristan.
The U.S. does not acknowledge the
CIA-run drone program in Pakistan, but officials have said privately
that the attacks have killed senior militant commanders from the Haqqani
network, the Taliban and al-Qaida.
One of the Egyptians killed
Friday was a 28-year-old man named Abdullah who helped handle the
Haqqani network's finances in Pakistan and Afghanistan, said the
intelligence officials. He was known locally as Nadeem.
On
Thursday, a missile attack close to Miran Shah killed Janbaz Zadran, who
U.S. officials said was a top commander in the network who helped
orchestrate attacks in Kabul and southeastern Afghanistan. They said he
was the most senior Haqqani leader in Pakistan to be taken off the
battlefield. AP
