Suspected U.S. drone kills militant commander on Pak-Afghan border

PARACHINAR, Pakistan: A suspected U.S. drone attack along the Pakistani-Afghan border killed a militant commander from the Taliban-allied Haqqani Network, a Pakistani official and two members of the Haqqani group said.

The Pakistani official said it was not immediately clear whether the missile struck on the Afghan or Pakistani side of the border. The members of the network and an eyewitness reached by Reuters said the incident took place inside Pakistan.

There have been multiple suspected U.S. drone strikes in the mountainous border region separating Pakistan’s Kurram Agency from Afghanistan since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.

Tuesday’s suspected drone attack targeted the vehicle of a militant commander named Jamiuddin, said the Pakistani official, who is based in the area, speaking on condition of anonymity, added that it also killed an associate of the commander.

A senior member of the Haqqani network told Reuters: “Maulvi Jamiuddin was our trusted man. He was part of our organization and used to facilitate our fighters movement.”

He added that Jamiuddin was traveling in his car in Pakistan’s Kurram region and that none of his associates were killed in the attack.

“Jamiuddin stopped the car ... for conversation on his cellular phone when the drone fired two missiles and killed him on the spot,” another Haqqani member said.

Rehmanullah, a resident of the area who uses only one name, said he saw the strike near the Mata Sanghar area of Kurram agency, across from the Afghan province of Paktia.

“I saw two missiles hit the vehicle and the people inside were killed,” he told Reuters by telephone.