Pakistan: First Domestic Drone Strike

Pakistan has claimed that it has carried out its first drone strike by a domestically produced drone on Monday (NYT, BBC). According to a tweet by Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa, a Pakistani military spokesman, the Burraq drone killed three high-profile militants in Shawal Valley in North Waziristan. This is not the first time that the government has been reported to use a domestic drone but it is the first strike that the government has confirmed. The Express Tribune reported in March that Pakistan used its own drones in the Khyber tribal region, but a Pakistani security official speaking to the New York Times on Monday, denied those reports and said this strike was the first use of the drone. Pakistan is only the fourth country to use armed drones in combat, according to a count by New America (New America).