PressTV – 2011-09-25 13:31:01
http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/International/23-Sep-2011/US-drone-kills-11-in-south-Somalia
US Drone Kills 11 in South Somalia
PressTV
(September 23, 2011) – A US drone has fired missiles in southern districts of Somalia killing at least eleven people and injuring dozens of others, report said. The attack took place early Friday morning near Taabto and Qooqani districts and wounded at least 27 people. The assault hit a large number of livestock near Qooqani district.
Many people, especially women and children, reportedly fled their homes over fear of further attacks. Somali government officials in the capital Mogodishu said they were unaware of the attack and civilian casualties. Somalia is among countries where the US military has used the remote-controlled aircraft to conduct deadly airstrikes.
US Drone Kills Five Somali Civilians
PressTV
(September 23, 2011) – At least five civilians have been killed and more than 22 others injured as a US drone fires missiles on areas in southern Somalia, Press TV reports. The deadly attack took place on Saturday morning near the town of Dhobley.
Somali army spokesman Mahamed Faraah Dirie said the drone strikes are part of operations the country’s military is involved in to target al-Shabab fighters. The spokesman added that dozens of helicopters are carrying out operations against the militant group in various parts of southern Somalia.
The offensive comes as the Somali government has pledged to flush out the militants using whatever means it can get, the spokesman said. Dirie did not confirm any civilian casualties in Saturday’s strike. Thousands of people are fleeing their homes in fear of further attacks.
A similar strike left 11 dead and wounded 27 others on Friday. Somalia has been without a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. The Horn of African country has been paralyzed by violence between al-Shabab fighters and government troops that are backed by African Union forces.
US Drone Kills Three in Pakistan
PressTV
(September 23, 2011) — A non-UN-sanctioned US drone strike has killed at least three people and wounded several others in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region, officials say. The causalities come after an unmanned aircraft struck a residential area in the village of Khushali Turikhel, 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the east of Miranshah, which is the main town in North Waziristan tribal region.
“The US drone fired two missiles which hit a house. At least three militants have been killed,” a Pakistani security official told AFP.
Violence has been increasing in Pakistan’s northwest tribal belt since the 2001 US-led invasion of neighboring Afghanistan. The US frequently carries out attacks by unmanned American planes on Pakistan’s tribal areas. These attacks have left dozens of people dead in the volatile region over the past weeks.
The aerial attacks, initiated by former US president George W. Bush, were escalated under President Barack Obama. Washington claims the drone strikes target militants, although casualty figures indicate that the aerial bombings have led to the loss of hundreds of Pakistani civilians.
Relations between Islamabad and Washington have soured over the unauthorized attacks. Pakistan insists that the airstrikes violate its sovereignty. The United Nations has condemned the strikes as a blatant violation of international law.
Philip Alston, UN special envoy on extrajudicial killings, said in a report in late October 2010 that the attacks were undermining the rules designed to protect the right of life. Alston also said he feared that the drone killings by the US Central Intelligence Agency could develop a “PlayStation” mentality.
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