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US military drone - Source: ONE News -
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Missiles fired from suspected US drone aircraft at an insurgent
training camp in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region on the
Afghan border killed nine militants, intelligence officials
said.
The United States, alarmed by worsening security in Afghanistan,
has been using pilotless drone aircraft to attack Taliban and al
Qaeda fighters in north-western Pakistani enclaves, from where the
militants mount attacks into Afghanistan.
At the same time, nuclear-armed Pakistan is struggling to push back
a growing Taliban insurgency of its own.
Its security forces have been fighting the Islamist militants in
the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad, for more than a
month.
Two of the pilotless aircraft were used in Thursday's strikes in
the Taliban and al Qaeda stronghold of South Waziristan, the
intelligence officials said.
At least four missiles were fired at the camp near a village west
of the region's main town of Wana, they said.
The Pakistan military has been softening up targets in the area and
is expected to expand its Swat offensive against the Taliban into
South Waziristan soon.
"Nine militants have been killed in the missile attack on a
training camp run by a local militant commander, Malang Wazir,"
said an intelligence official, who asked not to be
identified.
Another security official, citing witnesses, earlier said five
people had been killed in the strike. The two officials had earlier
said the strikes had hit two small, adjacent villages.
They did not know yet if any senior Pakistani or foreign militants
were among the dead.
US ally Pakistan objects to the US missile strikes, saying they
violate its sovereignty and undermine efforts to deal with
militancy because they inflame public anger and bolster support for
the militants.
Washington says the missile strikes are carried out under an
agreement with Islamabad that allows Pakistani leaders to publicly
criticise the attacks.
Pakistan denies any such agreement.
In the Swat offensive, 34 insurgents had been killed and another
seven captured in the past 24 hours, the Pakistani military said in
a statement.
Independent casualty estimates are not available.
The fighting in Swat and other parts of the northwest has displaced
about 2.5 million people and aid officials have appealed to donors
to step up their help.
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