Pakistan/Afghanistan

US drone kills 27, Holbrooke meets Karzai

Article published on the 2009-02-14 Latest update 2009-02-14 15:03 TU

Holbrooke at his meeting with Karzai
(Photo: Reuters)

A US drone has killed 27 Taliban fighters in Pakistan's tribal areas, Pakistani security officials say. In neighbouring Afghanistan, US envoy Richard Holbrooke met President Hamid Karzai on the second day of his visit to the country.

Two missiles from the drone hit the camp of notorious Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, who is blamed for the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Mehsud was not on the camp at the time, officials say, adding that two Arabs, some local Taliban and a number of Uzbeks were killed, while six armed fighters are said to have been wounded.

Local people report that Taliban members have surrounded the site of the attack and are preventing people entering but they say that the building is completely destroyed.

Drone attacks have proved controversial in Pakistan, where they have killed more than 200 people, many of them civilians, since August 2008.

Pakistan's government has protested to the US about military operations on its territory but the chair of the US Senate intelligence committee, Dianne Feinstein, on Friday claimed that the drones operate from a Pakistani airbase.

US envoy Richard Holbrooke met President Hamid Karzai on Saturday afternoon. They were expected to concentrate on co-ordination between Afghan and international forces and developing the country's own security apparatus.

The meeting was on the second day of Holbrooke's visit, adding to speculation that Barack Obama's adminstration is sidelining Karzai.

Correspondent Sardar Ahmad says that he will face serious rivals, including at least three former ministers, in this year's presidential election.

A district chief and four police officers were killed in two bombings in Afghanistan Saturday.