Pakistan’s military on Monday said it had for the first time used a locally-manufactured drone to target a militant compound in its restive northwestern border region, killing three Islamist insurgents.
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The missiles hit a compound in the Shawal valley of the Waziristan tribal region, a Pakistani army statement said. But the military abandoned that stance earlier this year in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on an army-run school that killed about 150 students and teachers.
Pakistani first presented the drone in March, saying it was effectiively studied in going for both fixed and going directs by having laser-guided grenades. It was not clear whether Pakistan and the United States will coordinate their respective use of armed drones.
The deployment of the drone will add a new layer of complexity to a debate on the use of drones in Pakistan where the government has officially denounced numerous strikes by USA drones on militants over the past decade.
Watch Indian media reaction over Pakistan’s military achievement. They are dotted with militant bases used as launch pads for attacks on Pakistani forces. North Waziristan is one of seven semi-autonomous tribal districts that border Afghanistan. The army met with fierce resistance.
There is some speculation that Pakistan’s announcement of the drone strike could exacerbate tensions with neighbors India and Afghanistan.
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The military deployed two Pakistani-produced unarmed surveillance drones in 2013. The drone strike also suggests a shift in Pakistan’s policy in terms of using armed drones.
