U.S. Drones Kill 32 in Pakistan

By PIR ZUBAIR SHAH
NYT

Islamabad, Pakistan — Two missiles fired from American pilotless drones killed up to 32 people, including Arab and Uzbek fighters of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, in South Waziristan on Saturday morning, according to a Pakistani intelligence official and local residents.

The attack, which occurred between 9:30 and 10 am, targeted an area close to Makeen, the headquarters of the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud.

The intelligence official said the missiles had hit a mud-walled compound owned by a local resident, Roshaan Khan, in an area said to be a hub of local and foreign fighters aligned with Mr. Mehsud and that they could have been intended for Mr. Mehsud himself. But Mr. Mehsud was not among those killed, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

If Mr. Mehsud was the target of the attack, the intelligence official said, it would be one of the first times that American missiles were aimed at the Pakistani.

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