Islamabad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Mullah Nazir, a leading figure in the local Islamic extremism, was killed in an overnight raid by U.S. drones in Pakistan. The news that the Taliban leader was killed along with his deputy - and four other fighters, in a different raid - by two missiles fired from an unmanned spy plane was confirmed by official security sources in the area. The U.S. military bombings targeted a northwestern tribal district of South Waziristan, along the mountainous border with Afghanistan.
In the past, he sent fighters to support the Afghan Taliban battle against foreign armies and troops close to the government in Kabul. Mullah Nazir was also wounded in a suicide attack last November. The drone raid - in which his deputy Ratta Khan was also killed - hit the area of Angoor Adda, not far from Wana, the main town of South Waziristan.
Anti-terrorism experts explain that Mullah Nazir had signed an agreement with the government to fight the Pakistani Taliban with whom he there were "strong tensions." For the local militia, he in fact facilitated attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan, rather than fighting Pakistani soldiers.
His death could create new tensions between Washington and Islamabad because the military leadership of the country judge figures like Mullah Nazir "essential" to maintain calm in the most critical areas, particularly the tribal areas. The attacks made by light aircraft have greatly increased under Barack Obama's presidency of the United States, who personally approved different operations that have caused the death of hundreds of people, including many civilians, triggering public protests and anger among the population in Pakistan.