The CIA drone strikes against Pakistan’s North Waziristan Agency continued early today as drones fired a pair of missiles at a home in the Maza Khel area, destroying the house and killing seven people inside. This brings the toll over the past 24 hours to 15 dead and 15 others wounded.
Of the seven people killed today officials termed them all “suspects,” adding that one of them may have been an Afghan national (not an unusual situation as a number of Afghan refugees fled to North Waziristan to escape the violence in Afghanistan).
But once again officials said there was no indication of any “high value target” killed in the strikes. Indeed while officials termed the 15 wounded “suspects” as well they are said to have been taken to a local hospital and none of them were arrested. The suspicion, it seems, was enough for a US assassination attempt but not even enough to warrant detention in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
President Obama has dramatically increased the number of drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas since taking office, with attacks reaching the point of near daily occurances now. Despite killing well over a thousand people, the strikes have killed no more than a handful of known militants.