Hamzoni (N. Waziristan) Drone Massacre II – Aug 2012
Date: 21/08/2012
Location: North Waziristan Agency, FATA, Pakistan
Perpetrators: United States
Victims: 25 Killed, 3 Injured
What Happened?
21 August 2012: A U.S. drone strike destroyed a house and car in the Shana Khwara area of Hamzoni in Miranshah Tehsil. This attack reportedly occurred at around 1830 hours. News agencies reported that an Haqqani household had been targeted, creating a mass-casualty event that included Badruddin Haqqani in the fatalities.
Haqqani’s death, while initially denied by the network, was confirmed by Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security. In August 2013, Haqqani’s death was personally confirmed by Mullah Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban in a rare video message.
A 13-year-old child, Osama Haqqani was also reportedly killed. Reuters alleged that this drone attack had targeted close members of the Haqqani family, indicating a substantial risk that a large number of the casualties were women and children. A U.S. Intelligence official alluded that this attack was not targeted, but rather a ‘signature strike’ that guessed the presence of militant targets based on visual behaviour.
Sources: LWJ, Reuters, Reuters, Dawn
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