"Up to eight US drones fired some 18 missiles at multiple militant targets in Dattakhel village," a senior security official told AFP.
Posted on 02/03/2010 6:05:05 AM PST by Wiz
UAV Swarm Attack Waziristan Stronghold"Up to eight US drones fired some 18 missiles at multiple militant targets in Dattakhel village," a senior security official told AFP. |
The strike, which officials said involved 18 missiles fired from eight of the unmanned planes, is the latest in a series of US attacks on the lawless tribal area, which Washington calls the most dangerous place on earth.
It is a known stronghold of homegrown Islamist militant groups and extremists who fled Afghanistan after the US-led invasion toppled the hardline Taliban regime in late 2001.
"Up to eight US drones fired some 18 missiles at multiple militant targets in Dattakhel village," a senior security official told AFP.
"At least 16 militants were killed in the missile strikes," the official said, after earlier putting the death toll at ten.
Local administration and intelligence officials confirmed the deaths after the volley of strikes reportedly struck militant hideouts and a training centre in three places in the village.
Residents of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal district, said they saw the drones flying overhead and heard the explosions from Dattakhel, 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of the town.
Drone bombings have soared recently as US President Barack Obama puts Pakistan at the heart of his administration's fight against Al-Qaeda and Islamist extremists.
(Excerpt) Read more at spacewar.com ...
ping
The Nobel Peace Prize winner strikes again.
That’ll leave a mark ;-)
But have they become self-aware?
The new “72 Virgin” squadron. :-)
They need one with a killer sound system that plays Ride of the Valkuries.
I hope we eventually get to see some good war porn from this attack. Love our drones, wish they had a more manly name.
I envision a day when there will be one or two smart drones, and bunch of “slaves.” The slaves will be cheap and virtually disposable. They will cover the sky the way B17’s did 65 years ago.
We are training the pilots of tomorrow on XBoxes today.
18 missiles fired?!
Cripes, the target must have been high value in order to have that many missiles fired at it.
maybe it will turn up here http://www.centcom.mil/en/multimedia/multimedia-files/
my favorite line of the song:
"How many of them, can we make die"
Multiple high value targets, located within multiple buildings ...
So ... slam all buildings from more than one direction. Just to be sure. Opportunities like this don’t happen every day, and a lot of work goes in to identifying them.
My sense is he nature of attack will be swarm tactics in the future. Just a pile of mechanical ants overwhelming an enemy stronghold. Just hope the terrorists do not adapt it to 50 small boats against one navy ship.
Just walked outside to get something from the car and sort of stopped in my tracks and thought..... MPLSSTEVE may have something. That is a lot of freaking assets to put on one mission......Bin Laden?
Bin Laden would be nice!
Zawahiri (Al Qaeda’s 2nd in command) or Mullah Omar would be nice too.
Whomever was in those buildings can’t be having a good day. They’re undoubtedly in many small pieces.
And I don’t mind that a bit.
Not enough to spread on toast I hope.
Yeah. I was wondering about that. What does a Hellfire cost? $30K? $200K? I forget, but I think its the $30K figure. But even at $30K thats $540K - an awfully expensive way to kill ten guys. Thats $54K per head.
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