Islamabad, January 01: Two U.S. missile strikes about two hours apart killed at least 14 men near the Afghan border in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, two Pakistani intelligence officials said.
At least nine people were killed in the first strike when missiles destroyed a moving vehicle in the Spin Wam area of the North Waziristan tribal region, the officials said.
Two hours later drones fired more missiles at people who had gathered to retrieve the bodies, killing five, they said.
The identities and nationalities of the 14 slain men were not immediately known, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters on the record.
Pakistan’s government and the country’s opposition protest the missile strikes, saying they violate the country’s sovereignty and anger tribesmen whose support it needs to fend off extremists. But Islamabad is widely believed to secretly support the attacks and provide intelligence for at least some of them.
U.S. officials rarely discuss the covert, CIA—run missile programme. Privately, however, they say it is a crucial tool and has killed several top militant leaders. They also say the drone—fired strikes are very accurate and usually kill militants while limiting civilian deaths.
–Agencies