U.S. Drone Said to Kill Major Militant in Pakistan
Off record sources at the drone bases have stated in the past that the government of Pakistan complains about these strikes publicly, but especially in cases of hits against TTP they secretly sanction them. President Obama also made it clear in his speech that we don’t do these strikes unilaterally.
A pair of suspected U.S. missiles fired from an unmanned aircraft killed four alleged militants early Wednesday near the Afghan border in Pakistan, intelligence officials said, the first drone strike since Pakistan’s nationwide elections earlier this month.
The strike was also the first since President Obama’s speech last week on the controversial U.S. drone program and more restrictive rules he was implementing on their use in places such as Pakistan and Yemen.
Among those killed was the number two of the Pakistan Taliban, Wali-ur-Rehman, the Reuters news agency cites three security officials as saying. Reuters adds it would be “a major blow in the fight against militancy.”
Reuters explains that, “The Pakistani Taliban are a separate entity allied to the Afghan Taliban. Known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), they have launched devastating attacks against the Pakistani military and civilians.”
TTP is the group that claimed responsibility for the failed bombing of Times Square in New York City on May 1, 2010.