June 11, 2010

The toll in the US drone strike in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area has risen to 15 while 10 were wounded in the incident Friday, media reports said.

The drone fired four missiles at a house in Datta Khel area, killing four people on the spot, Xinhua quoted a news channel as saying.

The injured were rushed to a hospital as 11 people succumbed to injuries later, the private Geo News channel reported, citing local sources. Several others were in critical condition.

Meanwhile, drone flights are still hovering over the area creating panic among the locals, the report said.

It is the second US strike in North Waziristan region, the stronghold of Taliban militants, in two days.

A US drone aircraft targeted Thursday a compound of suspected militants in Mir Ali, a main town in North Waziristan, and killed at least three people.

The US has intensified drone strike in North Waziristan in recent months despite outcry against the attacks by international rights groups and Pakistan.

The Amnesty International in a report said Thursday the US use of drones to target insurgents in northwest Pakistan has generated considerable resentment inside Pakistan. It called on the US to clarify its rules of engagement for the use of drones and ensure proper accountability for civilian casualties.

Washington has refused to halt drone strike while considering the use of the technology as effective to eliminate Al Qaeda and Taliban militants.

In August last year Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsood was killed along with his wife in South Waziristan when a US drone fired missiles at the house of his father-in-law.

The Friday's strike is 50th in Pakistan's tribal region this year. Out of 50, a total of 47 attacks were carried out in North Waziristan, killing 335 people. Only two attacks targeted South Waziristan and one Khyber Agency.

--Indo-Asian News service