KALAYA: A drone strike killed a militant commander and one of his accomplices in the Spin Thall area of Orakzai Agency, adjacent to Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Tuesday.

According to officials, the US drone fired two missiles at the alleged compound of Haqqani network commander Abubakar at Sehri time.

The strike eliminated Abubakar and one of his close aides while the compound was destroyed.

According to locals, a drone kept hovering over the area for some time before it fired two missiles at the compound. The Spin Thall area borders on North Waziristan, Kurram Agency and Hangu district.

Government officials differed over the place where the attack occurred. According to Hangu police, the area is a part of the Orakzai Agency. On the other hand, officials of the Orakzai Agency administration said the area fell within the jurisdiction of Hangu district’s Thall tehsil.

A US drone had targeted a madressah in Thall tehsil in Nov 2013.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2017

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.