Twelve people, most of them alleged foreign fighters, were killed and five others sustained serious injuries when a US Predator fired two Hellfire missiles on a house in Zari Noor village of the South Waziristan Agency (SWA) on Wednesday.Military Spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas, when reached by telephone, confirmed the incident but said he would not confirm whether it was a missile or rocket attack. "Yes, I heard about the explosions in Wana, but right now we are investigating the incident. I will say something definite about the cause of the explosions once the investigation process is completed," remarked Maj-Gen Athar Abbas. He said he had heard that 8-12 people had been killed in the explosions.
The military spokesman did not agree with reports that a US Predator had fired Hellfire missiles on the Pakistani territory. Tribal sources informed this correspondent from Wana, the headquarters of the SWA, that two spy planes were seen flying over the town during the attack on the village.
They said a house and Hujra (male guesthouse) owned by a local tribal elder, Mohammad Yaqub Mughalkhel Wazir, were hit by the missiles. "Before the attack at around 4 pm, a black colour plane was flying at a low altitude over the village and almost half-an-hour later another white colour plane fired two missiles that razed the buildings," a local tribesman Mohammad Siyar Wazir told The News from Wana by telephone. He said the explosions were heard at far-off villages.
The tribesman said militants affiliated with commander Maulvi NazIr cordoned off the village and the damaged buildings soon after the attack and barred the tribesmen from going to the spot.
Tribal sources based in Wana said the majority of those killed in the air strikes were reported to be Arab fighters staying as guests with the Wazir tribal elder. "They might be Arabs as the Taliban immediately cordoned off the village and took the damaged buildings into control," tribal sources said, adding the militants did not allow even local pro-militant villagers to help them retrieve the bodies of the slain and injured people from the rubble.
Sources close to the militants said Yaqub, his cousin, and nephew were among the five injured and the rest were reportedly foreigners. They said Yaqub was widely known for his good contacts with Arab fighters and was often seen playing host to non-locals at his Hujra. "He himself has never been a Jihadi but always kept good contacts with Mujahideen and invited them to his house," militant sources said.
They, however, expressed ignorance when asked about the presence of any high-value target in the house during the attack. "It is possible that important people left the house as the drones had been flying over the village since Wednesday morning," the sources said.
It merits a mention here that senior al-Qaeda commander Abu Khubab al-Masri, his wife, son Mudassir Ahmad Khubab and eight-year-old grandson were killed in similar air strikes, reportedly carried out by a US Predator on the Zyara Leeta village near Wana a few weeks ago. AP adds: A spokesman for the US Embassy in Islamabad said he had no information on the incident.