US Drones, Pakistani Warplanes Kill Dozens in Tribal Areas

US Kills Seven in North Waziristan

A flurry of airstrikes launched by Pakistani warplanes have killed at least 31 people, all of whom were declared suspected militants, in Pakistan’s Khyber tribal area today.

This was just part of the growing air campaign against the tribal areas, as a US drone also attacked a house in North Waziristan, killing seven more who officials similarly labeled suspects.

The ones killed in the US strike were reportedly ethnic Uzbeks, while the ones killed in the Pakistani campaign were apparently local tribesmen. As usual, no names were provided for the slain.

This is standard operating procedure for both Pakistan and the US in strikes in the area, as they offer little more than a vague assurance of suspicion in their killings, and never follow through except on the rare occasions when they managed to kill someone they’ve heard of.

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.