At least 15 militants were killed and four others injured in the first US drone attack since the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden, amid scattered protests across Pakistan against the al Qaeda chief’s death in a US operation. The drones targeted a house and a vehicle in a village of Data Khel tehsil in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) on Friday.
Officials in Miran Shah, headquarters of the NWA, confirmed that 15 militants had been killed, but local tribesmen said the figure could rise since the condition of several of the injured was precarious. Reportedly, eight missiles were fired by the drone and hit a house and a vehicle, situated close to a tea stall in the village of Dawa Toyee.
The house and vehicle were completely destroyed and nearby houses were damaged in the attack. Tribesmen said the dead included some foreigners, and that militants had cordoned off the area after the attack, moving the dead and injured people to an undisclosed location. Reuters news agency, however, reported that at least 17 suspected militants were killed in the attack.
It said four drones took part in the attack. Local intelligence officials said that the house also had a madrassa and the vehicle was parked in front of a nearby restaurant, AFP reported.A senior official told AFP that the area has been targeted by several drone strikes and is a stronghold of militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadar.
