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Drone strikes kill 28

ISLAMABAD: Two U.S. drone attacks in South Waziristan on Wednesday that reportedly killed 28 militants kept up the pressure on Taliban warlord Beithullah Mehsud ahead of a planned offensive against him by the Pakistan military, which has now declared its Swat operation to be in the “final stages”.

A pre-dawn missile strike by a drone in the Karwan Manza area of the tribal region is reported to have killed 10 militants, while a second in the same area later in the day is said to have killed 18 more militants.

The strikes came quickly after Tuesday’s drone strike in the Ladha division of the same tribal area that is reported to have killed 16 militants.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army announced that its Swat operation was nearing completion, and that it had reports that the leader of the Swat Taliban, Mullah Fazlullah, was injured.

“We do have reports that he is injured,” said military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas.

He said the military continued to target the remaining militants in the area, and said there was “no possibility that the leadership [of the Swat Taliban] will ever return to the valley”.

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