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Kurram drone strike kills 10

ISLAMABAD: Keeping up the pressure from the skies on terrorists in the tribal belt adjoining Afghanistan, CIA-operated drones fired four missiles in the Kurram tribal agency on Monday, reportedly killing nearly 10 militants owing allegiance to the Haqqani network.

This is one of the few instances when Kurram, which borders North Waziristan, has been targeted by the drones. Given its proximity to North Waziristan, members of the Haqqani network are said to use Kurram as a safe haven and as an alternate route into Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, tribesmen came out in protest during the day in North Waziristan against the drone attacks.

The drones have been pounding the tribal belt at regular intervals despite the government describing the strikes as a “core irritant” in relations with the U.S.

The tribesmen demanded an immediate end to the drone attacks claiming innocent men, women and children were also being killed in these calibrated strikes based on ground intelligence. Though a senior Army officer had claimed that drone attacks were successful in taking out terrorists, the mainstream narrative in Pakistan is that such strikes are counter-productive as the loss of innocent lives produces more terrorists.

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