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U.S. Tries To Smoke Out Accused Terrorist Adam Gadahn

From the AFP

Missile strike kills militant in Pakistan: officials
1 hour ago

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (AFP) — An unmanned drone aircraft launched a missile after coming under fire from the ground in Pakistan’s tribal belt bordering Afghanistan Saturday, killing one militant, officials said.

The incident in Makeen, in the insurgency-hit South Waziristan tribal region, comes just days after an airstrike by US-led coalition forces based in Afghanistan that Pakistan said had killed 11 of its troops.

“A drone was flying in the area of Makeen and extremists tried to hit it with a rocket-propelled grenade,” a local security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“The place from where the RPG was fired was struck by a missile fired by the unmanned drone killing one suspected militant,” the official said.

The Pakistani military and international forces in Afghanistan were not immediately available for comment.

Makeen is the stronghold of Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, who is in peace talks with the government despite having been accused in December of masterminding the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Several missile strikes in the tribal belt this year have been attributed to the US-led coalition, killing a number of people.

Pakistan protested on Wednesday after saying that a coalition artillery and air strike had killed 11 Pakistani soldiers in the Mohmand tribal region.

US officials have said the coalition was legitimately targeting militants but has offered to conduct a joint investigation with Pakistan.

Daily Times

US missile strike kills one in S Waziristan

LAHORE/MIRANSHAH: One person was killed as unmanned US drones fired three guided missiles at a house in the Makeen area of South Waziristan on Saturday, a private television channel reported.

According to Express News, the drones fired three missiles at a house in a bid to target the hideout of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud. Locals have recovered one dead body from the debris of the house while more casualties are feared, it said.

Inter-Services Public Relations spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said he could not confirm the attack or the casualties. Abbas told Daily Times that neither the political agent concerned or locals could confirm the incident, as there was no military presence in the area.

A local security official, asking not to be named, told AFP that “extremists tried to hit the drone with a rocket-propelled grenade”. “The place from where the grenade was fired was then struck by a missile fired by the unmanned drone killing one suspected militant,” the official said.

After the missile attack, the US drones made flights over the Shawal area of North Waziristan, where locals also fired at the planes.

Several missile strikes in the tribal belt this year have been attributed to the US-led coalition based in Afghanistan, killing a number of people.

The incident in Makeen comes just days after an airstrike by US-led coalition forces that had killed 11 Pakistani troops. US officials have said the coalition was legitimately targeting militants but has offered to conduct a joint investigation with Pakistan. daily times monitor/afp