US Missile Onslaught Kills at Least 24 in Pakistan

At Least 20 Missiles Fired at North Waziristan Today

The United States fired at least 20 missiles into the North Waziristan Agency today, destroying homes, cars and tents and leaving at least 24 tribesmen killed and an unknown number of others wounded.

The US, as usual, would neither confirm nor deny any of the attacks, but media outlets quickly speculated that the attacks were “retaliation” for the failed Times Square bombing, which was itself retaliation for the previous drone attacks.

On the other hand there was no indication that most of the slain had any previous ties to any militant group. The only person identified among the 24 was the brother of an alleged Taliban commander, though it wasn’t even clear if he had any ties beyond familial ones to the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The US has been threatening Pakistan since this weekend over claims that Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad had ties to the TTP. Despite US claims to the contrary, Pakistan’s government insists it still can’t find any actual ties between the two.

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.