Taliban claim 'civilians' killed in UAV attack

BBC:

A suspected US missile strike in north-west Pakistan, the second drone attack in four days, has killed 13 people.

Local officials in North Waziristan, near the Afghan border, said the dead included women and children as well as militants - some of them foreigners.

But a Taleban spokesman denied this, saying all those killed were civilians.

The US military does not routinely confirm drone attacks, but US forces in Afghanistan are believed to be the only ones in the region with the capability.

Pakistan is critical of drone use because, it says, civilians are often killed, fuelling support for militants.

Local administration officials say the missiles destroyed part of a house owned by a school teacher in a village near the region's main town of Miranshah.

A number of foreign militants were among those killed in the strike at 0300 local (2200 Friday), security officials said.

But a Taleban spokesman said all the dead were civilians.

...

I think this represents a new information operation by the Taliban to fight the use of the UAVs which have been deadly in killing their al Qaeda allies and some of the Taliban leadership. They appear to be adapting a tactic that has worked well for them in Afghanistan, claiming all the casualties are "civilian."

Since neither the Taliban or al Qaeda wear uniforms as required by the Geneva Conventions, nor do their carry IDs they have really no way of proving their claim and it is easy for them to lie. We have seen how easily they lie with the bogus claim of Taliban leader Mehsud saying his people were responsible for the mass murder in New York yesterday.

Then there is the fact that whenever these attacks occur the Taliban cordon off the area and handle the dead instead of government authorities. That is more evidence of Taliban ties.

The BBC also repeats the myth that these attack are unpopular in Pakistan, when in fact the majority of Pakistanis in the area support the destruction of the religious bigots who are making their lives hell.

Bill Roggio has more on the targets of the attack and they were not civilians.