U.S. missiles killed six suspected militants in northwestern Pakistan
near the Afghan border Saturday, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
The strikes were part of a flurry of such attacks which could indicate a
more aggressive American strategy against insurgents finding sanctuary
there.
The United States is pressing Pakistan for action against
Afghan insurgents in the region, especially the Haqqani network that it
says is the No. 1 threat in Afghanistan and receives assistance from the
Pakistan army.
Independently of what Pakistan does, Washington
may up the tempo of missile strikes or widen their targeting, although
either option could strain its already complicated relationship with
Islamabad.
Washington has regularly used drones since 2008 to
pummel insurgents and their hideouts in Pakistani tribal regions. U.S.
officials do not acknowledge the CIA-led program. Pakistan publicly
protests the strikes, which are unpopular in this Islamic nation, but
tolerates them in practice.
In the latest attack, drone-fired
missiles slammed into a compound near the border town of Angore Adda in
the South Waziristan tribal region. The strike targeted fighters of
Maulvi Nazir, a Pakistani militant commander who is accused of working
with the Taliban and al-Qaida to direct cross-border attacks, the
officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not
authorized to talk to media on record.
Saturday's strike was the latest in a string of missile attacks targeting the militant-infested border region.
On
Friday, U.S. missiles killed four unidentified people in a part of the
North Waziristan tribal region where the Haqqani network holds sway. A
day earlier, a strike in North Waziristan killed Janbaz Zadran, who U.S.
officials say was a top commander in the Haqqani network and had helped
orchestrate attacks in Kabul and southeastern Afghanistan.
The three attacks broke a relative lull in recent weeks, though that kind of tempo is not unusual.
So
far this year, there have been more than 50 strikes, most of them North
Waziristan region, where the Haqqanis are based. U.S. officials say the
missiles are killing militants and their supporters; human rights
groups have questioned that, saying civilian deaths are common.
Meanwhile,
Pakistani police said Saturday they had arrested a Russian and two
nationals from Azerbaijan in Lakki Marwat, a town located near North
Waziristan. It was not clear how the men reached the region, which is
off limits to foreigners, and authorities said they were still
investigating to determine whether the men had any links to militant
groups. AP
