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| 2 Drone Strikes in Pakistan Are Said to Kill Militant Suspects | 2 Drone Strikes in Pakistan Are Said to Kill Militant Suspects |
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| PESHAWAR, Pakistan — At least nine people suspected of being militants, including four foreigners, were killed in two separate drone strikes in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, a Pakistani security official said. | PESHAWAR, Pakistan — At least nine people suspected of being militants, including four foreigners, were killed in two separate drone strikes in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, a Pakistani security official said. |
| The strikes, which the official said were believed to have been carried out by American drones, took place in the remote Shawal Valley of the North Waziristan tribal region, which has long been a redoubt for militants from the Taliban and Al Qaeda. | The strikes, which the official said were believed to have been carried out by American drones, took place in the remote Shawal Valley of the North Waziristan tribal region, which has long been a redoubt for militants from the Taliban and Al Qaeda. |
| The security official said the first strike targeted a vehicle about 40 miles west of North Waziristan’s regional headquarters, Miram Shah. | The security official said the first strike targeted a vehicle about 40 miles west of North Waziristan’s regional headquarters, Miram Shah. |
| “What we have heard is that four Uzbeks were killed in that strike,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the news media. | “What we have heard is that four Uzbeks were killed in that strike,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the news media. |
| In the second strike, a drone fired two missiles into a compound in Kund Sar in the Shawal Valley, targeting the base of the Punjabi Taliban leader, Asmatullah Muawiyah, and killing five people, the official said. | In the second strike, a drone fired two missiles into a compound in Kund Sar in the Shawal Valley, targeting the base of the Punjabi Taliban leader, Asmatullah Muawiyah, and killing five people, the official said. |
| The identities of those killed remained unknown, and it was not clear if Mr. Muawiyah was at the base when the strike occurred. He announced in September that his group would focus on Afghanistan and not carry out attacks inside Pakistan, in a sign of the differences between Taliban militants. | The identities of those killed remained unknown, and it was not clear if Mr. Muawiyah was at the base when the strike occurred. He announced in September that his group would focus on Afghanistan and not carry out attacks inside Pakistan, in a sign of the differences between Taliban militants. |
| The strikes on Friday came as the Pakistani military continues an offensive against Taliban and foreign militants in North Waziristan. The offensive, Operation Zarb-e-Azb, began in June. The military says that it has taken control of 90 percent of the region and that it has killed at least 2,100 militants. However, no independent verification of the reported casualties was possible because the region is closed to members of the foreign news media. | The strikes on Friday came as the Pakistani military continues an offensive against Taliban and foreign militants in North Waziristan. The offensive, Operation Zarb-e-Azb, began in June. The military says that it has taken control of 90 percent of the region and that it has killed at least 2,100 militants. However, no independent verification of the reported casualties was possible because the region is closed to members of the foreign news media. |
| Pakistani security officials say that most of the local and foreign militants who have escaped the military operation in the Miram Shah and Mir Ali areas of North Waziristan have taken sanctuary in the densely forested Shawal Valley. | Pakistani security officials say that most of the local and foreign militants who have escaped the military operation in the Miram Shah and Mir Ali areas of North Waziristan have taken sanctuary in the densely forested Shawal Valley. |
| The attack this month on a school in Peshawar that killed 149 people, including 132 children, has caused Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership to step up operations against militants. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also announced the formation of military courts for the speedy prosecution in terrorism cases, which the military has long demanded. |