This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

On January 13, 2006 U.S. aircraft fired missiles into the Pakistani village of Damadola in the Bajaur tribal area, about seven kilometers (4.5 miles) from the Afghan border, killing at least 18 people: the Bajaur tribal area government confirmed that at least four foreign members of al-Qaeda were among the dead. The attack targeted Ayman al-Zawahiri, purportedly second-in-command of al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden, who was thought to be in the village. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... To suggest a relevant news story for the main page, refer to the criteria then add your suggestion at the candidates page. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to 1956) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government  â€¢ President  â€¢ Vice President Federal republic George... On January 13, 2006 U.S. aircraft fired missiles into the Pakistani village of Damadola in the Bajaur tribal area, about 7 km (4. ... Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are areas of Pakistan outside any of the four provinces, comprising a region of some 27,220 km² (10,507 mi²). Neighbouring regions are: Afghanistan to the west with the border marked by the Durand Line, the North-West Frontier to the north, the Punjab... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... Ayman al-Zawahiri Ayman al-Zawahiri (Arabic: ) (born June 19, 1951) is a prominent member of the al-Qaeda group and formerly the head of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, a terrorist organization. ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... Osama bin Laden in a photo from the 1990s Usāmah bin Muhammad bin `Awad bin Lādin (born March 10, 1957; Arabic: ), commonly known as Osama bin Laden, or Usama bin Laden, (Arabic: ), is an Islamic fundamentalist and the founder of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda. ...

Airstrike

The attack was carried out by four CIA-operated unmanned Predator drones which launched four Hellfire missiles at a mud-walled compound, destroying three houses several hundred yards apart. [1] Another report said that as many as 10 missiles were fired. [2] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Pioneer UAV flying over Iraq UAVs in a hangar A Boeing 720 being flown under remote control as part of NASAs Controlled Impact Demonstration An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also called a drone, is a self-descriptive term used by the US military, the Israeli Defence Forces and others... The RQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which the U.S. Air Force describes as a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle system. ... AGM-114 Hellfire Type Air-To-Ground Missile Nationality United States Era Cold War Launch platform Helicopter, UAV Target armoured vehicles History Builder Lockheed Martin Date of design   Production period   Service duration   Operators See main text Variants See main text Number built   Specifications Type   Diameter 17. ...

The official number of dead is 18, including 8 men, five women and five children, but other reports indicate that as many as 25 people were killed. 14 of the dead were said to be from the same family. [3] There is confusion over the actual number killed, since a report claims that 13 of the dead were buried immediately, without customary funeral arrangements [4].

The Associated Press (AP) has reported that unnamed Pakistani intelligence officials assert that the attack was conducted based on intelligence that al-Zawahiri was invited to a dinner to mark the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha at the compound that was targeted. While al-Zawahiri himself did not attend the dinner, aides were sent in his place. Officially, the provincial government of Bajur, where the attack took place, has now confirmed that "4 or 5 foreign terrorists" were killed in the attack, and that "10 or 12" extremists had attended in all. The official statement, however, stopped short of confirming that al-Zawahiri was the main target of the attack. [5] Eid ul-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى) is second in the series of Eid festivals that Muslims celebrate. ...

ABC is now reporting that Al Qaeda bomb maker and chemical weapons expert Midhat Mursi was killed in the strike. The United States had posted a $5 million reward for Mursi's capture. He is described by U.S. authorities as the man who ran al-Qaeda's Derunta training camp in Afghanistan, where he used dogs and other animals as subjects of experiments with poison and chemicals. According to Pakistani officials, Khalid Habib, the al-Qaeda operations chief for Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Abdul Rehman al Magrabi, a senior operations commander for al-Qaeda, were also killed. The meeting was called to funnel new money into attacks against U.S. forces in Afghanistan. [6] Osama bin Laden, leader of al-Qaeda al-Qaeda (Arabic: , el-Qā‘idah or al-Qā‘idah; the foundation or the base) is the name given to an international Islamic fundamentalist campaign comprised of independent and collaborative cells that all profess the same cause of reducing outside influence upon Islamic... Midhat Mursi (also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri) is a top bomb maker for al-Qaeda, and is considered to be in Osama bin-Ladens inner circle. ... Image:Derunta training camp before. ...

Two Pakistani intelligence officials said Libyan-born Abu Faraj al-Libbi, who was captured in Pakistan in May 2005, told interrogators that he had met al-Zawahiri last year at the home of Bakhtpur Khan, one of the thirteen villagers killed in the airstrike. After that confession, U.S. and Pakistani intelligence agents, with the help of local tribesmen and Afghans, monitored Bakhtpur Khan's home. [7] Abu Faraj al-Libbi Abu Faraj al-Libbi (Arabic: أبو فرج الليبي) is a Libyan and an alleged member of the al-Qaeda terror organization. ... 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Deaths in May May 26: Eddie Albert May 25: Ismail Merchant May 25: Sunil Dutt May 25: Graham Kennedy May 22: Thurl Ravenscroft May 21: Howard Morris May 21: Subodh Mukherjee May 21: Stephen Elliott May 20...

Responses

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it protested to U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker over the "loss of innocent civilian lives." Ryan C. Crocker was born on June 19, 1949 in Spokane, Washington. ...

The Pakistani government angrily denounced the attack. Pakistan's Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed called the attack "highly condemnable" and said the government wanted "to assure the people we will not allow such incidents to reoccur." Official government photograph Shaikh Rashid Ahmad (born 1950-11-06) is a Pakistani politician and writer. ...

Tension remained high throughout tribal areas. Anger was expressed across Pakistan against the United States for illegally launching a military action inside an allied country - and an attack that killed innocent civilians.

Thousands of tribesmen staged protests and a mob set fire to the office of Associated Development Construction, a non-governmental organisation funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, in a sign of increasing frustration over a recent series of suspected U.S. attacks along Pakistan's frontier with Afghanistan. The United States Agency for International Development (or USAID) is the US government organization responsible for most non-military foreign aid. ...

On Sunday January 15, tens of thousands of Pakistanis took part in anti-American protests across the country. The largest demonstration was held in the city of Karachi where protesters chanted "Death to America" and "Stop bombing innocent people". Hundreds of riot police were deployed to control the crowds. A leader in the coalition of Islamic groups that organised the nationwide protests demanded that General Musharraf step down. [8] January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Karachi (كراچى) is the largest city in Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Also on January 15, U.S. politicians expressed regret over the deaths caused by the attack but said the airstrike was justified.

"It's terrible when innocent people are killed; we regret that," said U.S. Senator John McCain. "We apologize, but I can't tell you that we wouldn't do the same thing again. We have to do what we think is necessary to take out al Qaeda, particularly the top operatives. This guy has been more visible than Osama bin Laden lately." The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is an American politician. ...

Senator Evan Bayh blamed the Pakistani government for being unable to control the frontier, rhetorically asking "Now, it's a regrettable situation, but what else are we supposed to do? It's like the Wild, Wild West out there. The Pakistani border (with Afghanistan) is a real problem." [9] Birch Evans Evan Bayh III (born December 26, 1955) is an American politician who has served as a U.S. Senator from Indiana since 1999 and a former Governor of Indiana. ...

President Bush has provided written legal authority to the CIA to hunt down and kill people designated as enemy combatant "high-value targets" without seeking further approval each time the agency is about to stage an operation. The CIA believes it possesses all the necessary approvals within its counterterror center in Langley, Virginia to fire missiles anywhere in the world, including Pakistan, when a high-value al-Qaida target is spotted. The agency doesn't require further clearance from the White House, local governments, or the CIA director to kill an al-Qaida operative. The purpose of this expanded authority is to expedite rapid action in case an assassination opportunity is time-sensitive. [10] [11] George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... This term is used by the United States to describe a person whom has been designated by the President of the United States as such. ... Langley is an unincorporated community in the census-designated place of McLean in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. ... The southern side of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States of America. ...

On January 30, a video showing Al-Zawahri wearing white robes and a white turban, said the Jan. 13 airstrike killed "innocents" and said the United States had ignored an offer from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden for a truce. [12] January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The United States government issued no formal comment about the Damadola attack.

See also

• Waziristan War
• Targeted killing
• War on Terror

Combatants Pakistan Waziristan tribesmen, al-Qaeda members Commanders Pervez Musharraf Ayman al-Zawahiri (probable) Strength ~ ~ Casualties several hundreds unknown The Waziristan War is an armed conflict that begun in 2004 when the Pakistani Army begun its search for al-Qaeda members in the area. ... Targeted killing is a controversial strategy whereby anticipated acts of terrorism are prevented by killing a person deemed to be related to those acts. ... The war on terrorism or war on terror (abbreviated in U.S. policy circles as GWOT for Global War on Terror) is an effort by the governments of the United States and its principal allies to destroy groups deemed to be terrorist (primarily radical Islamist organizations such as al-Qaeda...

External links

• Aljazeera.net - 18 killed in Pakistan air strike.
• Telegraph.co.uk- Pakistan fury as CIA airstrike on village kills 18.
• MercuryNews.com - Pakistanis say 17 killed in airstrike
• Associated Press - Pakistan: Terrorists Killed in U.S. Strike