24 Killed in Multiple US Drone Strikes Against Pakistan

Strikes Targeting Various Tribal Militant Factions

Adding to yesterday’s attacks against North and South Waziristan which killed at least 11 people, including two relatives of the Naziri Taliban leader Maulvi Nazir, US drone strikes on Wednesday were now reported to have killed at least 13 other people, targeting another faction entirely.

The Wednesday attacks targeted members of the massive Mehsud Tribe and were reported to have killed Taj Gul Mehsud, a commander who was said to have been affiliated with the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Mehsud tribal elders reported that the attack actually killed as many as 22 people, not 13, and that everyone was a member of the TTP, which has historically been led by members of the tribe.

Interestingly, it seems the latest escalations aren’t targeting a single faction but several, with attacks on the TTP, the Naziri Taliban and the Haqqani Network all coming within the two day span, suggesting the US is hitting anything and everything they can in the area.

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.