Drone kills 33 rebels including 4 commanders in Paktika

SHARAN (Pajhwok): As many as 33 Taliban militants, including four commanders, have been killed in separate US drone strikes in southeastern Paktika province, officials on Monday.

One of the drone strikes targeted the Taliban late Sunday in Tangi locality of Zerok district, killing two notorious commanders Huzaifa and Waziristani along with 27 fighters, the governor’s house said in a statement.

The statement said the militants were killed when they were offering funeral prayers for one of their commanders, Karamat Khan.

However, deputy police chief Col. Dadullah Khan told reporters 10 Taliban militants including one commander named Mullah Bilal had been killed in the drone strike.

Civilians suffered no casualties, he said, adding two cars of militants were also destroyed and two dead bodies of the rebels remained at the scene.

But the Taliban said the drone attack was carried out in Argon district, not in Zerok district. The group’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said 13 civilians attending the funeral were killed in the strike.

Another two Taliban commanders believed to be members of the dreaded Haqqani network, were killed in a separate drone strike in Barmal district’s Tangi Dara area last night.

The governor’s spokesman, Abdul Rahman Hayat, said the dead rebel leaders were named Haroon and Azmat.

An official in Barmal district told Pajhwok Afghan News the two slain commanders were members of the Haqqani network.

Meanwhile, Paktika police chief Brig. Gen. Khalilullah Ziaee said the insurgents stormed a security post in Chena area of Argun district last night.

Two local policemen and two Taliban attackers were killed and two local police personnel and as many rebels were wounded in the ensuing clash.

Paktika is a remote and unstable province that shares a long border with neighboring Pakistan.

mds/ma