US drone strike kills 4 in Pakistan's N Waziristan
Iran Press TV
Wed Dec 25, 2013 8:14PM GMT
At least four people have been killed after a US assassination drone fired two missiles at a building in Pakistan's North Waziristan.
The attack was carried out late on Wednesday in Qutab Khel village near the town of Miranshah.
Pakistani security officials confirmed the attack that also left at least one injured. The dead bodies have not been identified yet.
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 issue has long been a source of friction between Islamabad and Washington. Senior Pakistani officials have repeatedly said that the raids violate their country's sovereignty.
On December 14, a US unmanned aircraft attacked a boat in a river in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, leaving a number of people dead.
On Tuesday, Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations said that the US drone attacks on Pakistani soil have fueled constant anger against Washington.
'They foment anger and sentiments against the United States and the government of Pakistan and they do violate international law,' Masood Khan said.
Over the past several years, Washington has been launching drone attacks on Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen.
The aerial attacks, initiated by former US president, George W. Bush, have been escalated under US President Barack Obama's administration.
The United Nations says the US-operated drone strikes in Pakistan and some other countries pose a growing challenge to the rule of international law.
The UN and several human rights organizations have already identified the US as the world's number one user of 'targeted killings,' largely due to its drone attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
DB/AS/MHB
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
