Hafiz Gul Bahadur group targeted in N Waziristan drone strike

Published January 4, 2015
An Unmanned Aerial System vehicle stands inside a hangar at Bagram Air Field in the Parwan province of Afghanistan January 3, 2015.— Reuters
An Unmanned Aerial System vehicle stands inside a hangar at Bagram Air Field in the Parwan province of Afghanistan January 3, 2015.— Reuters

PESHAWAR: A drone strike in North Waziristan tribal region's Shawal valley area killed eight people and wounded two others on Sunday. This is the first drone attack of the new year in Pakistan.

Sources says that the drone targeted a compound belonging to an Uzbek commander of the Taliban's Hafiz Gul Bahadur group. The area which was hit is the Wacha Basti village near Alwara Mandi in Datakhel.

Sources added that a high-value target may have been killed in the strike but his identity could not be ascertained yet.

Fear and panic gripped the area as drones were seen flying above in the skies after the attack.

Shawal valley lies on the border of Pakistan's North Waziristan and South Waziristan tribal areaa.

North Waziristan is among Pakistan’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with insurgents and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, among others.

Drone attacks are widely unpopular across Pakistan and according to survey conducted in June 2013, 66 per cent of the country's citizens oppose these strikes.

Opinion

Editorial

Military convictions
Updated 22 Dec, 2024

Military convictions

Pakistan’s democracy, still finding its feet, cannot afford such compromises on core democratic values.
Need for talks
22 Dec, 2024

Need for talks

FOR a long time now, the country has been in the grip of relentless political uncertainty, featuring the...
Vulnerable vaccinators
22 Dec, 2024

Vulnerable vaccinators

THE campaign to eradicate polio from Pakistan cannot succeed unless the safety of vaccinators and security personnel...
Strange claim
Updated 21 Dec, 2024

Strange claim

In all likelihood, Pakistan and US will continue to be ‘frenemies'.
Media strangulation
Updated 21 Dec, 2024

Media strangulation

Administration must decide whether it wishes to be remembered as an enabler or an executioner of press freedom.
Israeli rampage
21 Dec, 2024

Israeli rampage

ALONG with the genocide in Gaza, Israel has embarked on a regional rampage, attacking Arab and Muslim states with...