Drone attack that orphaned whole village

[via The Express Tribune ] 23 Dec

Noor Khan, a resident of North Waziristan, is determined not to let the killing of his father in a US drone strike go unquestioned.

Noor Khan (L) displays photo of his father killed in the drone attack

“My father was at a jirga to settle a dispute of a chromite mine. The problem was almost resolved, but during this time there was a drone attack and he was killed. Our whole village was orphaned because all the elders were killed,” Noor Khan told The Express Tribune.

Khan’s father was killed in March this year in what was said to be the deadliest US drone strike since 2006.  The attack killed 50 people, including five members of the local police, and a child.

Lawyer Shahzad Akbar, acting on behalf of Noor Khan, has sent a legal notice to British Foreign Secretary William Hague, to question the role of Britain in providing intelligence to the CIA-backed drone campaign.

British law firm Leigh Day & Co, in collaboration with British legal charity Reprieve, is handling the case in Britain.

Read more »

Loya Jirga (Grand Council) held inAfghanistan

Full Story: Yahoo 16 Nov

A Loya Jirga (Grand Council) of Afghan elders / tribal heads was held in Kabul, Afghanistan Wednesday. The Afghan president Karzai while addressing the gathering told the elders that partnership with the United States depended on ending unpopular nighttime NATO raids against insurgents and handing over control of detention centers to Afghan troops.

Karzai also called upon the for a national conference to help create a fair framework for relations with the U.S. and find a path to peace for the turbulent country.

Read more »