US Drone Strike Kills Seven in North Waziristan

A US drone fired missiles at a car in Pakistan’s North Waziristan Agency today, killing seven people including two foreigners. Local security officials say the car was believed to contain several “suspected militants” and were pulling up in front of a house suspected of being a hideout when the attack occurred.

Reports for the area say that in addition to destroying the car, the attacks also damaged the house and a nearby religious school. Security forces say the drone had been following the car for quite some time when the attack took place.

The attack was the first reported drone strike in slightly over a week, and once again it does not appear that any significant militant leaders were killed in the strike. Shortly after the strike an IED attack killed five Pakistani soldiers in nearby South Waziristan, though it is unclear if there was any direct connection between the two attacks.

Pakistani officials often publicly criticize the US drone strikes, which they claim are “counterproductive.” Behind the scenes however, the Pakistani government has agreed to cooperate with the strikes, and many of the CIA’s drones are even launched from an airbase inside Pakistan.