Ahmedzai Wazir tribes on Thursday asked the government to "keep US drones away" from South Waziristan, saying the American spy planes could threaten peace in their areas.
The request comes a day after a new militant alliance claimed responsibility for attacks on security forces in South Waziristan seemingly in retaliation for the US airstrike on July 28. "We met a senior administration official (in Wana) today to ask him to convey to the government that these drones can put peace in Ahmedzai Wazir areas in danger," a tribal elder told Daily Times by phone from Wana after the meeting.
He said Tuesday's attacks on an army base and other targets by the Taliban Ittehad -- a new militant group led by Haji Gul Bahadar of North Waziristan and joined by Maulvi Nazir of South Waziristan -- was a "source of concern" for Ahmedzai Wazir tribes.
The July 28 missile strike killed Al Qaeda explosives expert Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, 55, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri in the Azam Warsak town near Wana. A source close to the new militant bloc said the attacks on Zarinoor army base and nearby military airport in Wana on Tuesday were "in reaction to the airstrike in Azam Warsak".
A source said the Taliban confirmed the killing of al-Masri in the July 28 missile strike by the US. "He has been killed along with his wife and a child in the missile attack," the source added.
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