U.S. drone kills 9 in Pakistan

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. drone-fired missiles hit a house in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region near the Afghan border Wednesday, February 8 killing nine people, Pakistani intelligence officials said, according to Reuters.

The attack occurred in Spalga village in the North Waziristan tribal area, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The identities of those killed were unknown, but the area is dominated by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a prominent militant commander focused on fighting foreign troops in Afghanistan.

The U.S. does not publicly discuss details of the covert CIA-run drone program in Pakistan. The program has caused tensions with Pakistan. Although the government is widely believed to have provided support for the strikes in the past, that cooperation has become strained as its relationship with Washington has deteriorated.

Pakistan kicked the U.S. out of a base used by American drones last year in retaliation for American airstrikes that accidentally killed 24 Pakistani troops at two Afghan border posts on Nov. 26.

The move is not expected to significantly impact drone operations, but the pace of strikes has slowed since the border incident as the U.S. has tried to repair the relationship with Pakistan.