Pakistan: Top Haqqani commander, two others killed in drone strike
A top commander of the Haqqani network was killed along with two others in a US drone strike in Pakistan's Kurram agency bordering Afghanistan, reports said. Two missiles from the drone hit a house in Speen Thall area, killing commander Ehsan alias Khawari and his companions. The house targeted in the attack belonged to Afghan refugees.
First drone strike of 2018 took place last week
The first drone strike of this year took place on January 17, when a man was seriously injured in Kurram's Badshah Kot near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Top Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour was killed in one such strike in 2016.
An increase in strikes after US unveils new policy
Drone strikes in Kurram have increased in recent times, after US President Donald Trump unveiled a new Afghan policy in August. Pakistan insists such strikes are a violation of its sovereignty. The US has lashed out at Pakistan for offering "safe havens to agents of chaos," but Islamabad has denied the accusations, asserting it acts strictly against terrorists.
