Officials: US missiles kill 5 in NW Pakistan

[Robb]

Source: AP

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suspected U.S. missile strike killed at least five people in the Khyber tribal region of northwest Pakistan on Saturday, it what would be one of the first such attacks in the area, intelligence and government officials said.

U.S. missiles have regularly pounding al-Qaida and Taliban targets along the Afghan border for two years now. The attacks have killed scores of people, most of them identified as militants by Pakistani officials. But they have caused anger in Pakistan, where many people see them as an unacceptable violation of the country's sovereignty.

The suspected strike in Khyber could fan fresh anger because it represented a widening of the covert program.

Officials gave differing death tolls in the strike, which one said involved two missiles hitting a house and two trucks loaded with militants. The death toll ranged from 5 to 15. Such discrepancies are common and are rarely reconciled.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkiMxbHNH0BqgpWA2ZG6VD6wVTmAD9FNCVVG0

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Normally I don't bring apparent drone strikes to DU's attention, because they are now common and the responses predictable.

However, for those who are actually keeping up with the situation, this represents something of a departure: this is the first time in the history of the program the target has been in the Khyber Agency, one of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Get out your maps; Khyber is north of the Waziristans, but interestingly if you consider the offensive mounted recently by the Pakistan army, it would make sense for Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam from there to retreat into Khyber.

So; progress, or merely expansion? I can't make a case for either. But there it is.

[ShortnFiery]

1. I wonder when we are going to start stationing troops and building bases in Pakistan? eom

[ConcernedCanuk]

2. Feckadee - will the USA fight ground wars face to face so they see who the feck they are killing?

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.
.

These drones are killing innocent people, and making the USA look cowardly.

I don't think I'm the only one that notices this.

4 Canadians died as a result of what I would call a "Rambo attack" - shoot first and ask questions later.

What amazed and disgusted me, that after that "Friendly Fire" that killed 4 of our military,

our government decided to still support the USA's Afghanistan invasion.

maybe, just maybe

It's not OUR government anymore.

It WAS when Chretien was the PM

I suspect Martin and Harper sold us out

[proteus_lives]

3. Cowardly?

What a weak meme.

I know you're a one-trick anti-U.S. pony but at least try to be clever.

[ConcernedCanuk]

4. I have no idea what a "one-trick anti-U.S. pony" means, but I suspect it's not flattering

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I am NOT "anti-US" as you suggest

but I AM against all the slaughter that the Administrations have participated in over the last century.

It seems that since Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the USA has been dropping bombs all over the Globe when they want their way.

other nations?

not so much

notice that?

[proteus_lives]

8. Try the USSR.

They just invaded when one of their satellites didn't behave a certain way.

I know, I know. It's weird to think that America isn't the cause of all the world's (or your) ills. But you'll get used to it.

Nice deflection by the way.

[ConcernedCanuk]

10. USSR invaded the USA? - I musta missed that . . .

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But maybe you are referring to the Georgia incursion - which they didn't really "invade"

just sorta pushed a border around

USA DOES INVADE wherever they feel like it

Ask Iraq

Ask Afghanistan

Ask

oh heck, about another 50 countries

USA has more bases in other peoples' countries than the rest of the World combined

I sorta see a trend here . . .

:freak:

[ChangoLoa]

5. Thanks for the news..

A strange news as you point out. But I'd be surprised to see militants retreating in such a strategic agency where tribal leaders tend to be close to the army/govt. Sounds more like an expansion... Maybe an error? Puzzled.

[RainMickey]

6. The policies of the Bush/Cheney war criminals continue unabated.

I'm sure it brings tears of joy to some. Until we express outrage for the killing, it will never stop.

[elias49]

7. '...death toll ranged from 5 to 15...'

All the king's horses
and all the king's men
couldn't put Abdul together again.

Those missiles really splatter body parts around. I've been told that's called 'indirect fire'.

:toast: :sarcasm:

[The abyss]

9. This century’s version of thunder from the skies.

This is what it looked like then

<?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921F7C3FC3F69D929FDDA5F5101FDB3BC19D36D1B7C7F6F333D4F584E0937BF47DFE30A760B0D811297>

September 1939: A view of rubble and ruined buildings covering the streets after the German bombing of Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)


Gee – now days we do it so much better.