From the BBC. (And in FT, too.)
Tribal leaders in the Pakistani region of North Waziristan have vowed revenge against the US after drones killed more than 40 people near the Afghan border.
Says a friend: Meeting of elders attacked about 10 days ago; 40 dead. Disgusting, I had to share as it has received almost no coverage here. My friend’s right. Most of the media are overseas. More BBC:
Thursday’s drone strike [March 17] is thought to have killed more civilians than any other such attack since 2006.
Officials say two drones were involved. One missile was fired at a car carrying suspected militants. Three more missiles were then fired at the moving vehicle, hitting it and the nearby tribal meeting, or jirga.
At least four militants in the vehicles were killed, local officials said. Most of the rest who died were elders, local traders and members of the tribal police.
“The world should try and find out how many of the 40-odd people killed in the drone attack were members of al-Qaeda,” the elders said in their statement following the attack near North Waziristan’s regional capital, Miranshah. “It was just a jirga being held under local customs in which the prominent elders of Datta Khel sub-division, and common people were participating to resolve a dispute…”
