PressTV – 2013-04-15 01:17:39
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/04/14/298274/us-drone-strike-kills-4-in-pakistan/
US Assassination Drone Attack Kills 4 in NW Pakistan
Press TV
(April 14, 2013) — At least four people have been killed in an attack carried out by a US assassination drone in northwestern Pakistan. On Sunday, the US killer drone fired two missiles at a house in Datta Khel area located some 35 kilometers (22 miles) west of Miranshah, the main town in the Pakistani tribal region of North Waziristan. Officials say the house was completely destroyed in the attack.
Pakistan’s tribal regions are attacked by US assassination drones almost regularly with Washington claiming that militants are the targets. However, casualty figures clearly indicate that civilians are the main victims.
The killing of Pakistani civilians, including women and children, has strained relations between Islamabad and Washington.
On January 7, eight people were killed in similar attacks in the village of Haiderkhel in the Miranshah district of North Waziristan. Sixteen people had been also killed in a killer drone strike on South Waziristan a day before.
On January 22, Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar expressed concern over US drone attacks, describing them as “counterproductive.” Khar added that Islamabad “will take up drone attacks issue with Washington and its ambassador to Pakistan.”
The London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism said in a report released in February that the United States has carried out more than 360 assassination drone attacks in Pakistan since 2004, killing nearly 3,500 people.
Five killed in US terror drone attack in northwest Pakistan
PressTV
(February 6, 2013) — At least five people have been killed and many others wounded in an attack carried out by a US assassination drone in northwestern Pakistan. The US killer drone fired six missiles at targets in the Pakistani tribal region of North Waziristan on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s tribal regions are attacked by US terror drones almost regularly with Washington claiming that militants are the targets. However, casualty figures clearly indicate that civilians are the main victims.
The killing of Pakistani civilians, including women and children, has strained relations between Islamabad and Washington. Despite Pakistan’s repeated calls on the United Stated to end the drone attacks, the US government continues its deadly strikes on the country’s tribal belt.
On January 22, Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar expressed concern over the US drone strikes in her country, describing them as “counterproductive.” Referring to thousands of Pakistani civilians who have been killed by CIA-operated drones in recent years, she added that Islamabad “will take up drone attacks issue with Washington and its ambassador to Pakistan.”
Over the past few months, massive protests have also been staged across Pakistan to condemn the United States for violating the country’s sovereignty.
The US military also uses its assassination drones to hit targets in Somalia, Yemen and Afghanistan.
35 Soldiers Killed in Pakistan in Retaliation for US Drone Strike
PressTV
(February 3, 2013) — Militants attacked an isolated army checkpoint in Pakistan’s restive northwest on Saturday, with at least 35 people killed in the initial assault, subsequent crossfire, and a rocket attack on a house, officials said.
The Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility, saying the attack was in response to a US drone strike in neighboring North Waziristan last month in which two commanders were killed, Reuters reported.
Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks since 2001 when Pakistan entered an alliance with the United States in the so-called “war on terror.” Thousands more have also been displaced by the wave of violence and militancy in the country.
Pakistan Plans to Take US Drone Issue to UN
PressTV
(January 27, 2013) — Pakistan says it plans to take the issue of US assassination drone attacks on its territory to the United Nations General Assembly in September. Pakistani sources said on Sunday that Islamabad will also contact with the Human Rights Commission to discuss the drone strikes.
The move came days after UN Special Rapporteur Ben Emmerson announced the launching of an investigation by UN experts to inspect 25 terror drone attacks carried out in Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories by the US, UK and Israel.
The UN official further said that the assassination drones are not the only manner of conducting targeted killings, “but the relative ease with which they are used and their devastating effects have spotlighted the legal unease around them,” the report adds.
Ties between Pakistan and the US have already been tense over the air raids, which are viewed by Islamabad as violation of its sovereignty.
Last week, Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar expressed concern over the US assassination drone strikes in her country, describing them as “counterproductive.”
“We repeatedly have raised our concerns on the US drone strikes which are proving counterproductive…,” she said in a statement released on January 22. Referring to thousands of Pakistani civilians who have been killed by CIA-operated drones in recent years, she went on to say that Islamabad “will take up drone attacks issue with Washington and its ambassador to Pakistan.”
Pakistan’s tribal regions are attacked by US terror drones almost regularly, with Washington claiming that militants are the targets. However, casualty figures clearly indicate that civilians are the main victims.
Despite Pakistan’s repeated calls on the US to end the drone attacks, the US government continues its deadly strikes on the country’s tribal belt.
Over the past few months, massive protests have also been staged across Pakistan to condemn the United States for violating the country’s sovereignty. The US military also uses its assassination drones to hit targets in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and Afghanistan.
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