A good day in the field…
Bill Roggio reports from the Long War Journal:
The US conducted a second Predator airstrike in Pakistan’s Taliban-controlled tribal agency of South Waziristan today.
Unmanned Predator strike aircraft pounded a Taliban convoy, killing 25 fighters and destroying five vehicles.
“We have reports that 25 militants have been killed,” an intelligence official told Reuters.
The US was “gunning for a HVT [high value target],” or a senior al Qaeda or Taliban leader, a US intelligence official toldThe Long War Journal. “We believe there were some foreign al Qaeda fighters in that convoy.”
The attack on the convoy was the second today, and the third in 24 hours. Earlier today, eight Taliban fighters were killed when Predators fired six Hellfire missiles on a Taliban training camp in Karwan Manza. The camp is run by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.
Yesterday’s strike on a Taliban training camp in the village of Zangra in the Ladha region killed 12 Taliban and four al Qaeda fighters.
South Waziristan is a major focus of the US air campaign against al Qaeda and the Taliban. Of the 29 US strikes carried out in Pakistan this year, 21 of them took place in South Waziristan.
Baitullah Mehsud’s territory has been hit 13 times and Mullah Nazir’s areas have been hit eight times. Both Nazir and Baitullah host al Qaeda training camps and shelter senior leaders of the terror group. Seven of the last nine attacks have targeted Baitullah’s camps and safe houses.
The US is well on its way to exceeding last year’s total of 36 airstrikes in Pakistan.
Related posts:
- Predator Strike hits Taliban “hideout” killing senior Al Qaeda figure
- HUGE: Taliban #1 killed
- BBC Reports that Taliban leader Mullah Omar has been killed
- Taliban badly divided after Mehsud’s death
- Taliban leader killed in Pakistan? 14 dead in missile strike
- Pakistan: Taliban faction commander killed by his own guards
- Report: Pakistani Taliban have appointed a new leader
- Major drone strike pelts Jihadis with 18 missiles; 10 killed
- Al Qaeda: Explosives Expert Among 4 Afghanistan Leaders Killed
- Afghanistan: Six Taliban killed by US coalition troops
