BBC News, March 22, 2010
US drone attacks are being stepped up along the Afghan-Pakistan border
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Missiles fired by a suspected US drone have killed at least five people in north-western Pakistan, officials say.
The missiles hit a militant hideout in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan area near the Afghan border, officials said.
They said the identities of those killed were not known.
North and South Waziristan are known sanctuaries for al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. The US has recently stepped up drone attacks in the region.
Hundreds of people, including a number of militants, have been killed in scores of drone strikes since August 2008.
Pakistan has publicly criticised drone attacks, saying they fuel support for militants, but observers say the authorities privately condone the strikes.
The American military does not routinely confirm drone operations, but analysts say the US is the only force capable of deploying such aircraft in the region.
Peace and Justice Post 
US Drone Strike Kills At Least 30 in South Waziristan
February 15, 2009Official Says More Buried Under Rubble of Destroyed House
Antiwar.com
Posted February 14, 2009
A US drone launched two missiles at a large house in South Waziristan this morning, killing at least 30 and wounding seven others. A Pakistani intelligence official is quoted as saying more people are believed to be buried under the rubble.
At least 50 people were in the house at the time of the attacks, mostly Uzbeks and Arabs believed to be fighters for the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The compound reportedly was frequented by Baitullah Mehsud, a top Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader, though he does not appear to have been present during the attack.
The timing of the attack sends a clear message to the Pakistani government, which had been hoping yesterday that President Obama would reveal his “new strategy” with respect to the drones soon.
The large death toll will likely also bring uncomfortable attention to the comments by Senator Dianne Feinstein, who claimed that the drones were being “flown out of a Pakistani base”. With the Pakistani government officially complaining about the attacks amid public outrage, such a revelation would likely further destabilize an already floundering Pakistani government.
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compiled by Jason Ditz [email the author]
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Tags:killed and injured, missiles, Pakistani government and United States, Senator Dianne Feinstein, US drone, Waziristan
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