US Predators target the Haqqanis in North Waziristan
By Bill RoggioAugust 20, 2009 6:22 PM
An unmanned US Predator aircraft fired missiles at the Haqqani Network in Pakistan’s Taliban-controlled tribal area of North Waziristan.
Two Hellfire missiles struck in the town of Darpa Khel near Miramshah, a known stronghold of the Haqqani Network. Three people were reported killed, but no high value Taliban or al Qaeda targets have been reported killed at this time.
A senior Haqqani Network commander and an al Qaeda operative were the targets of the strike, a US intelligence official told The Long War Journal. The official would not identify the names of the leaders targeted.
The strike in Danda Darpa Khel is the third in the town since September 2008. The Haqqani Network has a strong presence in the town. The Haqqanis’ madrassa, known as the Manba Ulom, is located in the town of Danda Darpa Khel. In the two strikes last year, the Manba Ulom compound was struck both times.
The Taliban have stepped up attacks against Pakistani military convoys, bases, and checkpoints in North Waziristan. Even though the Taliban have conducted several suicide attacks and ambushes against military convoys moving through the region, the military has only retaliated, usually with air and artillery strikes. The Pakistani military continues to insist that a 16-month-old peace agreement with North Waziristan Taliban leader Hafiz Gul Bahadar is intact.
Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/08/us_predators_target.php#ixzz0Omd3My9j
Good shooting!