US DRONE STRIKE - DIED 40 IN PAKISTANI TRIBAL REGION

US drone strike- Died in 40' in Pakistani tribal region

       At least 40 people have died in a US drone strike in the Pakistani region of North Waziristan, local officials say. Most of the victims were believed to be civilians attending a tribal meeting near the regional capital, Miranshah. Earlier reports said many militants were among the dead. The area is an al-Qaeda and Taliban stronghold and US drones regularly target the region. The latest deaths come amid rising anti-US anger in Pakistan after a CIA contractor was acquitted of murder. The freeing of Raymond Davis has sparked protests across Pakistan.  Many people are angered that so-called "blood money" reported to amount to more than $2m (£1.24m) was paid to the families of the two men he killed in Lahore. The relatives then pardoned him under Sharia law and the court freed him.

     One missile was fired at a car carrying suspected militants. Local tribesmen say the drones then fired another three missiles at their meeting. According to the tribesmen, who are calling the attack a massacre, the meeting was being held to discuss a local land dispute over the ownership of chromite deposits in the area. They say that no militants were present at the time. Earlier, intelligence officials said many of those killed were linked to Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur. But a local official now says that those killed were mostly tribal people, elders, local traders and members of the tribal police. In the earlier version of events, a building in which local fighters of the Gul Bahadur group were meeting was destroyed. Militants were reported to have taken away the bodies of those killed in the attack near the Afghan border. It was unclear if senior militants were among the dead. There is no way of independently confirming casualty details as the media is denied access to the area. It is the second drone strike in the area in as many days. On Wednesday a missile strike killed five suspected militants in Datta Khel. US drone attacks have escalated in the region since President Barack Obama took office. More than 100 raids were reported in the area last year. The US does not routinely confirm that it has launched drone operations, but analysts say only American forces have the capacity to deploy such (aircraft in the region.The Pakistani authorities deny secretly supporting drone attacks, which have caused great anger in the country. A number of militants, some of them senior, have been killed in the raids, but many civilians have also died. ( From BBC News)

Prof. John Kurakar