Pakistan Taliban Leader Dead in U.S. Drone Strike
The first disclosed unmanned drone strike of 2013 killed top Taliban leader Mullah Nazir as he reportedly met with senior leaders of his group in South Waziristan early Thursday morning, security officials say.
The first disclosed unmanned drone strike of 2013 killed top Taliban leader Mullah Nazir as he reportedly met with senior leaders of his group in South Waziristan early Thursday morning, security officials say.
Residents and an intelligence official told a local journalist that either six or 10 people were killed in the attack. Fatality figures are difficult to determine, however, because militants usually prevent journalists from visiting places hit by drones.
Under a sort of truce negotiated with other militant groups in early 2012, Nazir had promised not to attack Pakistani soldiers or government facilities, an agreement that critics of Pakistan say gave him official protection in the country. Nazir instead focused his attacks on Afghan government forces and NATO in Afghanistan.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
Wait, before you go…The Guardian:
Imtiaz Gul, a leading security analyst, said that despite the non-aggression deal the Pakistani state was likely to privately welcome his demise because he had long sheltered government enemies.
“Both the US and Pakistan will be happy because they now have one less enemy,” he said. “Although he was in an undeclared peace deal with the government, he was also subverting the stated goals of that agreement by providing support and shelter to al-Qaida people whose leaders have pleaded with the rank and file of the Pakistani army to rebel against the state.”
If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
Wounds of War
Remembering the day that a war designed never to end began.
Global Voices
Crisscrossed by heroin transit routes from neighboring Afghanistan, the country’s youth confront a growing opioid epidemic.
Courts & Law
UN special rapporteur Fionnuala Ní Aoláin noted that the US treatment of detainees was “cruel, inhuman and degrading.”
Middle East
Amid a severe drought, Afghan scientists are asking the international community to engage with the brutal new regime.
The much-awaited US-Taliban agreement could finally end the longest U.S. war, but an end to violence is not assured.
President Trump may have surrendered to the Taliban, but as Truthdig columnist Danny Sjursen notes, that may not amount to the end of the conflict.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.