Al-Qaeda cadre among 4 killed in US drone attack in Pakistan

From Rezaul H Laskar Islamabad, Dec 1 (PTI) Four militants, including a senior al-Qaeda cadre, were killed and three others injured when a US drone targeted a compound in the South Waziristan tribal region of Pakistan today. The CIA-operated spy plane fired missiles at the compound near Wana, the main town of South Waziristan Agency. The drone also targeted a vehicle near the compound. Abdul Rahman Yemeni, an al-Qaeda cadre of Yemeni origin, was among those killed in the attack, security officials were quoted as saying by TV news channels. Militants surrounded the areas of the attack and prevented local residents from approaching it. This was the second drone strike in South Waziristan this week. Three militants were killed in another strike on Thursday. US drone strikes over the past two years have mostly focussed on North Waziristan Agency. South Waziristan was a stronghold for the Pakistani Taliban till the army launched an offensive in 2009 to flush out militants. The Pakistan government has opposed to the drone strikes, saying they are counter-productive and a violation of the country’s sovereignty. PTI RHL ZH