US hits Haqqanis again despite Pakistan caution

Islamabad: Two suspected US drone strikes on Tuesday killed 11 people on the mountainous Pakistan-Afghanistan border even as Pakistan cautioned the US to show restraint.

Tuesday’s strike was the third drone strike in the area in the last 24 hours.

Geo News said the attack in Anjargi area targeted the hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jamat-ul-Ahrar and Haqqani network.

On Monday evening, US drone strikes reportedly left nearly 20 militants dead.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif then cautioned the US that it should not conduct any attack in Afghanistan or Pakistan at a time when the Afghan peace talks had resumed in Oman.

“The US should show restraint on drone strikes anywhere in Afghanistan or Pakistan,” he said.

Asif also expressed hope that the four-nation meet in Oman to find ways of reviving peace talks with Afghan Taliban militants would yield positive results.

Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the US met in Oman on Monday to try to revive Afghan-Taliban peace settlement.

The four-nation Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QGC), which last met in Islamabad early last year, has been trying to ease the path to direct talks between Kabul and the Taliban.

The report said the Tuesday drone fired two missiles at a house in Kuch Kurram.

The political administration of the tribal region, however, said the drone attacks did not happen on the Pakistani side of the border. Six missile strikes were reportedly carried out on Monday.

The Pakistani officials said several missiles were fired on a compound of the Haqqani terror network, leaving at least 20 dead.

The target of the air strikes was believed to be a commander of the Haqqani terrorist network identified as Abu Bakar.

US officials have repeatedly spoken out against the Haqqani network, which some analysts say enjoys the covert patronage of the Pakistani intelligence.

—IANS