US Drones Destroy North Waziristan House, Killing Nine

Official Story Continues to Change as Identities of 'Suspects' Remain Unclear

US drones fired at least three missiles against a home near Miramshah, North Waziristan today, killing at least nine people described by the Pakistani government as “suspected militants.”

The target’s affiliation remains unclear, as do the identities of the people inside, but the death toll has risen throughout the day and may rise further going forward.

Originally, Pakistani officials identified the house as a “compound” used by the Haqqani family. They later revised this, saying the house belonged to the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Now some officials say a group calling itself the “Punjabi Taliban” used the house, while some others are saying it was al-Qaeda’s.

The Obama Administration has ordered repeated escalations to the drone strikes against Pakistan, with upwards of 150 “suspects” killed since the beginning of the year alone. Only a handful of named militants have actually been killed.

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.