US missiles kill 8 in northwest Pakistan

By RASOOL DAWAR
Associated Press
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) - A U.S. missile strike killed eight suspected militants in northwest Pakistan on Friday, the final day of a year that has seen a major escalation in drone attacks targeting insurgents flowing into neighboring Afghanistan, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

Four missiles struck a convoy of militants traveling by car and by foot near the town of Ghulam Khan in the North Waziristan tribal area along the Afghan border, the two officials said on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.


More than 110 such strikes, carried out by unmanned drones, have been launched this year - more than double last year's total. Nearly all have hit North Waziristan, a region that hosts several militant groups battling U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, including the powerful Haqqani network.

Pakistan officially protests the missile strikes, saying they violate its sovereignty and anger tribesmen whose support it needs to fend off extremists. But Islamabad is widely believed to secretly support the attacks and provide intelligence for at least some of them.

U.S. officials rarely discuss the covert, CIA-run missile program. Privately, however, they say it is a crucial tool and has killed several top militant leaders. They also say the drone-fired strikes are very accurate and usually kill militants.

http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13764318

all of it...afganistan, pakistan... all our 'covert' wars and not so covert ones. it's bullshit, i *hate* the military industrial complex.

RDA Corporation wants Afghanistan's unobtanium.