- Miranshah airstrike
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Miranshah airstrike Part of War in North-West Pakistan 
The MQ-9 Reaper began operation in Afghanistan in Oct. 2007Type UAV attack Location North Waziristan, Pakistan Target Taliban fighters Date 12 September 2008 Executed by United States Casualties 12 killed The Miranshah airstrike took place on Friday 12 September in Miranshah in North Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan. It was part of a series of attacks targeting presumed militants, and was carried out by a United States Air Force drone aircraft. It took advantage of the power vacuum in Pakistan, following the fall of Pervez Musharraf on 18 August 2008. The missiles hit two buildings – in one three women and two children were killed, and in the other seven Taliban militants died.[1]
President George W. Bush had two months prior to this attack issued a classified order authorizing US raids against militants in Pakistan without prior approval from Islamabad.
Missile strikes have traditionally provoked an outpouring of public resentment that Musharraf's political opponents used to help drive him from power. Many of those opponents are now seated in the new government – giving it broader political support and fewer high-profile critics.
“ I think the government really is not concerned much about the domestic fallout because there is no leader who would challenge its position or who would rally people around him and launch a country-wide protest. So the coalition forces, the Americans, are taking full advantage of the situation where there is a sort of vacuum as far as leadership is concerned. ” —Rustam Shah Mohmand, Pakistan's former ambassador to Afghanistan
The attack came at the same time as American and international troops was fighting Taliban and al-Qaeda militants close by in neighboring Afghanistan. The upsurge in strikes alarmed Pakistani military and government officials, who said it seriously undermined their counter-insurgency operations. Pakistan had repeatedly stated, that it would not allow foreign forces onto its territory and that it would vigorously protect its sovereignty. It said that cross border raids were not the best way of fighting the "war against terror".[3]
See also
U.S. military strikes in FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan) Pakistani and U.S. strikes in FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan 16-23 March 2004Battle of Wana (119•15), South Waziristan13 January 2006 UAV-strike (20•16), Bajour30 October 2006 UAV-strike (70•70), BajourPakistan 3-11 July 2007Siege of Lal Masjid (86•14), Islamabad7-10 October 2007Battle of Mir Ali (257•35), North Waziristan25 October - 8 December 2007Battle of Swat (438•30), Swat29 January 2008 UAV-strike (1•0), North Waziristan28 February 2008 UAV-strike (13), South Waziristan10 June 2008 Gora Prai airstrike (8 +10 Pakistani Para Military Soldiers, 1 Regular Army Major), Mohmand Agency21 May 2008 UAV-strike (6), South Waziristan23 August 2008 UAV-strike (10), South Waziristan31 August 2008 UAV-strike (5), South Waziristan3 September 2008 Raid (23•20), South Waziristan5 September 2008 UAV-strike (5), North Waziristan8 September 2008 UAV-strike (23•23), North Waziristan12 September 2008 UAV-strike (12•5), North Waziristan15 September 2008 Pakistan-U.S. Standoff 15 September 2008, South Waziristan17 September 2008 UAV-strike (5), South Waziristan21 September 2008 Lowara Mandi Repel, North Waziristan25 September 2008 Tanai border repel, Tenai regionU.S. strikes in Afghanistan 22 August 2008 Azizabad airstrike (90•90), Herat-numbers in brackets denotes (Total casualties•Civilian deaths)
sources: AFP, BBC, Washington Post, Politiken.References
- ^ 'Another US strike' hits Pakistan – BBC News, 12 September 2008
- ^ Suspected US Missile Strike Hits Taliban Commander's House – Voice of America, 8 September 2008
- ^ 'Another US strike' hits Pakistan – BBC News, 12 September 2008
Categories:- Airstrikes
- Waziristan
- War on Terror
- Extrajudicial killings
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