US assassination drone strike kills 3 in eastern Afghanistan

At least three people have been killed in the latest US assassination drone strike in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar.

Provincial officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified one of the victims as a young boy who was watching over a herd of sheep, adding that the Saturday attack also targeted two members of the Taliban militant group.

The Taliban have made no comments on the incident, yet.

On January 11, at least eight people were killed and three others wounded in the Lal Pur district of Nangarhar Province.

The US carries out targeted killings through drone strikes in Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Somalia.

While Washington claims the targets of the drone attacks are al-Qaeda militants, local officials and witnesses have on many occasions maintained that civilians have been the victims of the attacks over the past few years.

The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues across the war-torn country, despite the presence of thousands of US-led troops.

The US-led combat mission in Afghanistan ended on December 31, 2014. However, at least 13,500 foreign forces, mainly from the United States, will remain in Afghanistan in what is said to be a support mission.

The US-led NATO says the forces will focus more narrowly on counterterrorism and on training Afghan soldiers and policemen.