Pakistan army chief condemns US drone attack
Pakistan's army chief strongly condemned a U.S. drone attack that killed more than three dozen people Thursday, saying the missiles struck a peaceful meeting of tribal elders near the Afghan border.
The accusation by Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani adds tension to a relationship that was already strained by the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis by a CIA contractor who was freed Wednesday following a contentious deal to pay millions in "blood money" to the men's families.
These conflicts make it that much harder for the U.S. to convince Pakistan to cooperate on the Afghan war by targeting Taliban militants on its territory. The militants regularly stage cross-border attacks against foreign troops.
"It is highly regrettable that a jirga (meeting) of peaceful citizens including elders of the area was carelessly and callously targeted with complete disregard to human life," said Kayani in a written statement. "In complete violation of human rights, such acts of violence take us away from our objective of elimination of terrorism."
Kayani's condemnation conflicted with statements provided by Pakistani intelligence officials throughout the day saying the 38 people killed and seven wounded in the attack were militants meeting to discuss sending additional fighters into Afghanistan.
The officials said the militants were allied with Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a powerful Pakistani Taliban leader in the area, and even gave the name of a senior militant, Sharabat Khan, who was reportedly killed in the attack.
The compound was targeted by two pairs of missiles fired three minutes apart. It was located in the Datta Khel area of the North Waziristan tribal region - the main sanctuary for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters along the Afghan border, said the intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.
AP
Related Articles
- Court orders arrest of Pakistani prime minister
- Pakistani PM agrees to court demand in graft case
- NATO troop supplies set to resume via Pakistan
- Strong winds blamed for deadly Pakistan crash
More News
- Turkey Shuts Syria Border Crossing After Deadly Bombs
- London attack leaves one dead, 2 hospitalized
- Costa Concordia Shipwreck Captain To Face Manslaughter Trial
- Kerry: US, allies, ready to step up aid rebels
- Rescuers Search Oklahoma Tornado Town Ruins
- EU steps up fight against tax evasion by end 2013
- Evening News, May 21, 2013
- German central bank: Economy to improve 'markedly'
- Apple's Cook faces Senate questions on taxes
- Syria, Israel Exchange Fire On Golan Heights
