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On Thursday, a missile attack close to Miran Shah killed Janbaz Zadran, who U.S. officials said was a top commander in the network who helped orchestrate attacks in Kabul and southeastern Afghanistan. They said he was the most senior Haqqani leader in Pakistan to be taken off the battlefield.
Earlier Friday, two militants killed alongside Zadran were buried in the town of Lakki Marwat, which lies just outside the tribal regions. About 2,000 supporters attended the funeral of one of the men, Maulana Iftikhar. They included Arab militants and a lawmaker from the country's largest opposition party.
The size of the funeral indicated significant support in that region for fighters battling the American presence just across the border in Afghanistan. The Pashtun ethnic group that accounts for most of the resistance in Afghanistan straddles the frontier.
Iftikhar was the head of an Islamic school in Miran Shah. He came from Lakki Marwat.
Locals said he was involved in "jihad" in Afghanistan.
"Maulana Iftikhar is a martyr, and we warn America to immediately stop these drone attacks," said Ahmed Jan Qureshi, a local leader of the Islamist Jamiat Ulema Islam political party. "America should realize that these attacks are causing hate against it, and see these thousands of people who are here to attend funeral of a martyr."
Earlier Friday, two militants killed alongside Zadran were buried in the town of Lakki Marwat, which lies just outside the tribal regions. About 2,000 supporters attended the funeral of one of the men, Maulana Iftikhar. They included Arab militants and a lawmaker from the country's largest opposition party.
The size of the funeral indicated significant support in that region for fighters battling the American presence just across the border in Afghanistan. The Pashtun ethnic group that accounts for most of the resistance in Afghanistan straddles the frontier.
Iftikhar was the head of an Islamic school in Miran Shah. He came from Lakki Marwat.
Locals said he was involved in "jihad" in Afghanistan.
"Maulana Iftikhar is a martyr, and we warn America to immediately stop these drone attacks," said Ahmed Jan Qureshi, a local leader of the Islamist Jamiat Ulema Islam political party. "America should realize that these attacks are causing hate against it, and see these thousands of people who are here to attend funeral of a martyr."
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