US drone strike victims stage rally

Islamabad, Dec 11, IRNA -- Victims of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal region Friday staged demonstration in Islamabad and asked the world community to take notice of the attacks, which they said kill civilians.

Sadaullah, a 17-year-old boy, from Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, who lost two legs in a U.S. strike, was among scores of tribesmen who held the first ever rally against the drone strike outside the parliament in Islamabad.

The tribesmen had set up a camp along the main road to the parliament house and displayed banners and placards, inscribed with anti-CIA slogan and demanding halt to the strikes.

Members of the civil society and political activists also showed solidarity with the affected tribesmen.

“I was sitting with family members in the month of Ramadan when a US drone struck our house,” Sadullah told reporters.

“Three of my relatives died at the scene and I lost my two legs,” the maimed boy said.

“I do not know as to why the U.S. drone hit us as there was no Taliban in our house,” he said. He asked the world community to take note of the killings of civilians by the American pilotless planes.

Karim Khan, a resident of Mir Ali, whose son was killed in a drone strike last year, said the ‘US drone is targeting innocent people’. He said that his son was not Taliban but was killed by the U.S. drone, adding that he will knock at the door of courts to seek justice.

The demonstrators were chanting slogans against the U.S. and were demanding halt to the drone strikes.

The protest coincided with a fresh drone strike in North Waziristan tribal region on Friday which killed at least four people.

The drone struck a vehicle at Datta Khel area and it was not clear who was targeted./end