• Home

Indigenous armed drone kills three in first strike

Unmanned jet targets terror compound in Shawal Valley.

Islamabad: Three high profile militants were killed in Shawal Valley of North Waziristan Agency on Monday in a strike by Pakistan's first indigenous armed drone, 'Burraq', Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
"First ever use of Pakistani made Buraq drone today. A terrorist compound was hit in Shawal Valley, killing three high profile terrorists," ISPR chief Maj-Gen. Asim Bajwa said on Twitter.
The remotely-piloted aircraft 'Burraq' and laser-guided missile 'Burq' were tested on March 14, taking Pakistan a step closer to acquiring the technology it has long demanded from the US. Earlier, security officials said the indigenously-developed armed drone 'Burraq' has turned the tide against the militants in the offensive in Tirah Valley. Senior security officials told reporters that much before 'Burraq' was publicly showcased it had been tested in live combat against militants in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency.
A ground offensive was launched by Pakistan Army in North Waziristan Agency's mountainous Shawal Valley last month as it is regarded as the last haven of fleeing local militants and their foreign cohorts.
Since May, the military has stepped up operations in the deeply forested ravines of the Shawal Valley - which straddles North and South Waziristan agencies along the border with Afghanistan - and softened militant targets in the valley through continued airs trikes.
So far, the United States, Israel, Great Britain and Pakistan have used armed drones in combat, according to a report by the New America Foundation, though several other countries are developing their own programmes including Pakistan's arch-rival India.
Pakistan's unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) "bear resemblance to Chinese armed Rainbow CH-3 drones," claimed the report.
Shaukat Qadir, a retired brigadier-turned-analyst, said: "It's a significant development. We have been hearing about the development of this weapon system for quite sometime.
"It had been tested successfully and now it had been put in to use and it has found its target and hit it." Qadir added that Pakistani drones were now set to play an "important role" in its more than decade-long battle against terrorism within its borders, which began after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 caused Taleban and Al Qaeda fighters to flee across the border.
Drone technology was pioneered by the United States, which today is thought to have around 200 armed UAVs that have killed thousands in conflict zones across the globe after the 9/11 attacks.
news@khaleejtimes.com
(With inputs from AFP)