At Least Four Killed in US Drone Strike Against Pakistan

Identities of Victims Unknown in First Strike in Nearly Two Months

Just one day after reports began trickling out that the US was close to a deal with the Zardari government to resume their drone strikes against the tribal areas, the first drone attack in nearly two months was launched, killing four and injuring several others.

US officials declined to comment publicly, saying that the attack was “classified,” but reports are that it was “probably” a CIA strike. The US stopped all attacks in late November after a US warplane attacked two military bases in Pakistan, killing 24 soldiers.

In December it was even reported that the Pakistani military was planning to shoot down future US drones invading the country’s airspace, though this threat apparently was an empty one, as there is no indication any such attempt was made.

As usual, the identities of the victims are entirely unknown, as is the reason for the strike. We can expect a future comment from Pakistani officials to term the slain “suspects,” but in all likelihood their identities will never be made public.

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.