In a move officials said was retaliation for recent bombings on military targets, Pakistani attack helicopters opened fire on a North Waziristan village, destroying a number of homes, killing at least 40 people and wounding scores of others.
The attack is typical of the Pakistani military’s heavy-handed and indiscriminate attacks on tribal towns they consider to be “militant bases,” and why Pakistan’s “anti-militant” operations often end up with huge humanitarian crises and little meaningful gain attached.
Though the split between militants and civilians in today’s attack remains unknown, and likely will never be officially acknowledged, the Pakistani Army termed every single casualty to be a “militant.”
Though this might raise hope the military is being careful, the Pakistani Army’s first retaliation against the region over the weekend destroyed a home with several young children within, and the military likewise dubbed them “militants.”