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| U.S. Drone Strike in Pakistan Kills at Least 16 | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — At least 16 people were killed and five others wounded when an American drone strike hit a suspected Haqqani militant compound in a remote tribal region of northwestern Pakistan late Tuesday, according to government and intelligence officials. | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — At least 16 people were killed and five others wounded when an American drone strike hit a suspected Haqqani militant compound in a remote tribal region of northwestern Pakistan late Tuesday, according to government and intelligence officials. |
| The strike was the deadliest since Pakistan’s new prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, took power a month ago and demanded an end to the drone attacks. A local government official said the house was being used by the militants for the past few months. | The strike was the deadliest since Pakistan’s new prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, took power a month ago and demanded an end to the drone attacks. A local government official said the house was being used by the militants for the past few months. |
| “At least four missiles were fired from two drones at a house of local tribesmen in Sarai Darpa Khel village at 11 p.m. last night,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. | “At least four missiles were fired from two drones at a house of local tribesmen in Sarai Darpa Khel village at 11 p.m. last night,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. |
| A local militant source said that the militants who were killed were from the Haqqani network, a militant group that is responsible for orchestrating and executing attacks against American and Afghan forces across the border in Afghanistan and is believed to be active in the region. | A local militant source said that the militants who were killed were from the Haqqani network, a militant group that is responsible for orchestrating and executing attacks against American and Afghan forces across the border in Afghanistan and is believed to be active in the region. |
| The attack took place in Sarai Darpa Khel, in North Waziristan, near the border with Afghanistan and just southwest of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan. | The attack took place in Sarai Darpa Khel, in North Waziristan, near the border with Afghanistan and just southwest of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan. |
| According to residents, after the attack the site was quickly cordoned off by Taliban insurgents to recover the bodies from the debris of the house that was attacked. | According to residents, after the attack the site was quickly cordoned off by Taliban insurgents to recover the bodies from the debris of the house that was attacked. |
| “I was sleeping on the roof of my shop as the drones were hovering in the sky," said Qayyum Khan. "I woke up when I heard a huge bang. I saw smoke coming out of a house approximately at a distance of three kilometers.” | “I was sleeping on the roof of my shop as the drones were hovering in the sky," said Qayyum Khan. "I woke up when I heard a huge bang. I saw smoke coming out of a house approximately at a distance of three kilometers.” |
| North Waziristan is one of seven semiautonomous tribal regions of Pakistan, and it is a stronghold for Taliban and other militants. | North Waziristan is one of seven semiautonomous tribal regions of Pakistan, and it is a stronghold for Taliban and other militants. |
| Drone strikes are hugely unpopular in Pakistan and are seen as a violation of the country’s sovereignty. Right-wing Islamist political parties and nationalists have made vociferous criticism of the drone strikes a cornerstone of their opposition to American policies. | |
| The chorus of popular criticism has only grown louder in recent years despite muted acknowledgment by some Pakistani officials that drone strikes have taken place with their tacit approval. | The chorus of popular criticism has only grown louder in recent years despite muted acknowledgment by some Pakistani officials that drone strikes have taken place with their tacit approval. |
| A spokesman for the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protested the latest strike. | A spokesman for the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protested the latest strike. |
| “These strikes are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the spokesman said in a statement. “Pakistan has repeatedly emphasized the importance of bringing an immediate end to drone strikes.” | “These strikes are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the spokesman said in a statement. “Pakistan has repeatedly emphasized the importance of bringing an immediate end to drone strikes.” |
| “The government of Pakistan has consistently maintained that drone strikes are counterproductive, entail loss of innocent civilian lives and have human rights and humanitarian implications,” the statement read. “These drone strikes have a negative impact on the mutual desire of both countries to forge a cordial and cooperative relationship and to ensure peace and stability in the region.” | |