'27 dead in US strikes' says Pakistan

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/31/pakistan-alqaida

'27 dead in US strikes' says Pakistan

Sturcke and agencies guardian.co.uk, Friday October 31 2008

19.09 GMT

At least 27 people have been killed in two suspected US missile

strikes in north-western Pakistan, intelligence officials said

tonight.

The Pakistani officials said an Iraqi al-Qaida operative known as Abu

Akash was killed in the first raid near the village of Mirali, north

Waziristan, at about 8.30pm (14.30GMT).

About two hours later, a second set of missiles hit a village in

south Waziristan, killing seven people, including an unspecified

number of foreign fighters, the officials said.

Suspected US unmanned planes have fired at alleged militant targets

in neighbouring Pakistan at least 17 times since mid-August.

The officials said that Abu Kasha, aka Abu Kasha Khan, had been

behind attacks on foreign troops in Afghanistan.

Local officials told the BBC a drone had fired two missiles and

destroyed the target – a house in the Esori area about 30km from the

town of Mirali.

" He [Abu Kasha] is a mid-level al-Qaida man who was leading a high-

profile life in Mir Ali, " an official told Reuters.

Two missiles were fired by a drone aircraft into a house in Mir Ali,

a major sanctuary for foreign Islamist militants including Arabs, and

Central Asians, another intelligence official said.

A witness said the house was ablaze after the strike.

The latest attack came two days after Pakistan summoned the US

ambassador to protest against missile strikes and demanded that they

be stopped immediately.

A senior Pakistani security official said Abu Akash's real name was

believed to be Abdur Rehman, although he was known to have used many

aliases. He was known as Akash Khan in Mir Ali.

" He is an al-Qaida man but was not among the top hierarchy. He was

involved in carrying out IED blasts in Afghanistan, " said the

security official, referring to improvised explosive devices, or

roadside bombs.

Abu Akash had been living in the area near Mir Ali since coming from

Afghanistan in 2002, the BBC reported.

He was believed to have gone to Afghanistan to fight against the

Soviets in the late 1980s, or during the reign of the Taliban in the

mid-1990s.

Abu Akash, who was born in Iraq, came to notoriety last year when he

issued a video that called for attacks against coalition forces in

their territories.

He was also said to have recently broken away from the main al-Qaida

entity and formed his own group.