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Central & South Asia
'US drone' kills Pakistani fighters
North Waziristan officials say three fighters killed by unmanned US aircraft.
Last Modified: 01 Jan 2010 05:38 GMT

Missiles fired by a US drone has killed at least three anti-government fighters in Pakistan's North Waziristan region, security officials have said.

The attack took place on Friday morning in Ghundikala village near the town of Mir Ali.

"A US drone fired two missiles, targeting a vehicle and killing
three militants," a senior security official in the area told the AFP news agency.

"The identity of the militants is not known yet. It is also not clear whether any high value target was present in the area when the attack took place."

It was not clear to which group the fighters belonged. North Waziristan houses Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters as well as members of the Haqqani network, a powerful group known for staging attacks on foreign troops in Afghanistan.

Second attack

The incident was the second suspected drone attack in the region in the last 12 hours.

In depth

  Neither wars nor drones
  Video: Drones become US weapon of choice

Another US drone attack late on Thursday killed at least three fighters when two missiles hit their hideout.

Unmanned remote-controlled drones are often the weapon of choice for the United States as it targets the Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in remote, rugged areas along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

The US military does not confirm unmanned drone attacks but its forces and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Afghanistan are the only agencies that use such aircraft in the region.

The use of so-called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which allow the military to operate in highly dangerous areas, is expected to grow in the coming years with the US defence department expected to buy 700 drones next year alone.

But heavy civilian casualties in drone attacks has sparked public anger in Pakistan.

Source:
Agencies
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