Peshawar: A senior leader of the Haqqani network was among six militants killed when a US drone targeted a compound in Pakistan's lawless North Waziristan tribal region, officials said today.
Mullah Sangeen Zadran, described by the US as the shadow governor of Afghanistan's Paktika province, was killed when the CIA-operated spy plane fired rockets at the compound in Darga Mandi village late last night. Zadran was blacklisted as a terrorist by both the US and the UN.
Some foreign fighters, including Zubair Muzi, Mohammad Abu Bilal al-Khorasani and Abu Dogan al-Khorasani of Jordan, were among the dead, officials said. Four militants were also injured in the strike.
The funeral prayers of the militants was held at the Tableeghi Markaz in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan Agency, at 3 pm. Announcements regarding the funeral were made on loudspeakers of mosques in Miranshah.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and said such strikes set “dangerous precedents in the inter-state relations”.
“The government of Pakistan strongly condemns the US drone strike. These unilateral strikes are a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Pakistan has repeatedly emphasised the importance of bringing an immediate end to drone strikes.” On August 31, a US drone strike killed at least four militants at a compound in a village located 35 km from Miranshah.
The US has not stopped its drone campaign despite repeated protests from Pakistan, which describes the attacks as counter-productive for the war on terror. US officials say the strikes have eliminated a lot of senior Al Qaeda and Taliban militants.
According to reports, some 565 militants have died in around 400 drone strikes in Pakistan. However, rights groups say many non-combatants have also been killed.
