Suspected U.S. drone kills 3 militants in Pakistan: officials

[The Northerner]

(Reuters) - A suspected U.S. drone aircraft fired missiles at a house on the outskirts of the town of Miranshah in the North Waziristan tribal region on Wednesday, killing at least three militants, local intelligence officials said.

There was no independent confirmation of the incident. Militants often dispute official versions of such attacks and death tolls.

This is the first such strike since November 17 last year, and could deepen anti-U.S. sentiment in Pakistan already running high after a November 26 NATO cross-border air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

Drones armed with missiles have played a significant role in U.S. counter-terrorism operations, as the Obama administration winds down the war in Afghanistan, and Washington's focus expands to militant havens in countries including Pakistan.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/10/us-pakistan-usa-drone-idUSTRE8092DP20120110

[arcane1]

1. We're certain that they were "militants" but the drone is "suspected"

Funny how that works.

[gratuitous]

2. There's three dead bodies, aren't there? Ipso facto, three militants

You make it sound like our infallible, exceptional missiles don't kill just militants and terrorists. That is, if the missile was one of ours, and that's only suspected. Coulda been anybody's militarized drone that launched this attack, you know. But if it was us, then the victims were very, very bad. If it wasn't us, then this crime was perpetrated by terrorists who don't have any respect for human life, and the United States condemns it in the strongest possible terms. Unless it was us.

[ellisonz]

3. And we're back...