US-led Drone Raids Kill Dozens in Afghanistan

United States military drones used to attack civilian areas in Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as other countries in targeted assassinations. Most attacks result in the massacre of civilians., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

US-led drone raids kill dozens in Afghanistan

Tue Jan 22, 2013 8:48AM GMT
presstv.ir

Dozens of people have been killed in two successive US-led assassination drone strikes in eastern Afghanistan, Press TV reports.

The deadly attacks took place in eastern Nuristan province late on Monday.

There have been conflicting reports about the identity of the victims. Local officials say the strikes targeted Taliban militants, but villagers report that those killed were all unarmed civilians.

Provincial police chief Ghulamullah Nuristani on Tuesday confirmed the attacks, saying the strikes targeted Taliban militants.

He added that at least 35 militants including the foreign nationals were killed or wounded in the strikes.

The latest attacks come on day after a US-led drone killed two people in Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan,

Foreign troops have already been under fire from both Afghan government and public over the deadly airstrikes.

Washington claims the targets of the drone attacks are al-Qaeda militants, but local officials and witnesses maintain that civilians have been the main victims of the attacks over the past few years.

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across the country, despite the presence of tens of thousands of US-led troops.