At Least 31 Killed as US Drones Attack Kurram

Taliban Commander Reported Killed in Latest Attacks

Three US Predator drones attacked a building in the Kurram Agency of Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) today, killing at least 31 people. The site was reportedly being used by the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the militant faction with whom the Pakistani government has recently been coming to terms in the Swat Valley. A commander named Bahram Khan Kochi was reportedly killed in the strike.

This is the second major US air strike against Pakistani targets in the past three days, and the fourth since President Obama took office. It is also the first strike in Kurram: so far the attacks have centered almost exclusively around neighboring North and South Waziristan.

The Pakistani government has not yet commented on the latest attack, but Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi denied claims made by Senator Feinstein last week that the US drones were using Pakistani bases for the attacks. Qureshi also denied that any understanding exists regarding the repeated US attacks.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.