DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — Two missiles fired from a U.S. drone hit amilitant facility in neighboring Afghanistan, killing 21 insurgents,including the son of the head of the Pakistani Taliban, two Pakistaniintelligence officials and local Taliban commanders said Thursday.
The strike, which the officials said took place on Wednesday, targeted acompound frequented by Mullah Fazlullah, the leader of the PakistaniTaliban who is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.
The intelligence officials said Fazlullah was apparently not there at thetime of the strike in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, miles away fromPakistani border, but his son was killed.
Three Pakistani Taliban commanders also confirmed the strike and militantcasualties. Pakistani officials and the Taliban commanders spoke oncondition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The United States made no comment on the strike. There was also noimmediate comment from NATO, Afghan authorities or the government inPakistan where Afghan Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal met with Pakistan’s armychief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday.
Zakhiwal tweeted that the two had a “comprehensive discussion on all keyaspects” of Afghan-Pakistan relations, including existing challenges and”mutual misgivings.”
Pakistan opposes American drone strikes inside its territory, saying theyviolate the country’s sovereignty.
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua is currently visitingWashington, where she is believed to have met with officials from the Trumpadministration in an effort to enhance cooperation between the two sides oncombatting terror and other issues.
It was unclear whether the bodies of those killed in Wednesday’s strikewould be brought to Pakistan for burial.
Islamabad has for years has asked Washington and Kabul to take actionagainst Fazlullah and other Pakistani Taliban believed to be hiding inneighboring Afghanistan and crossing the porous Afghan-Pakistan border tolaunch attacks inside Pakistan.
Kabul, for its part, has long complained that Islamabad is not takingenough action against militants who use Pakistani soil to launch attacksagainst U.S., NATO and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.
In recent months, President Donald Trump’s cranked up pressure on Pakistanto act against militants by suspending key security assistance to thecountry. Pakistan denies providing sanctuary to militants and says it hascarried out several military operations in the country’s tribal regions andelsewhere to kill or arrest militants.
Fazlullah’s is the son-in-law of a Sufi Mohammad, a radical anti-U.S.cleric who was recently freed by Pakistan. The cleric, imprisoned inPakistan in 2009, was released in January from a prison in the northwesterncity of Peshawar, following a court order for his release on health groundsearlier that month. – Agencies