Gender |
Male |
|---|---|
Tribe |
Utmanzai Wazir |
Age |
Unknown |
Reported status |
Reported civilian |
Civilian occupation |
Chromite miner |
Khastar Gul was one of four Utmanzai Wazir tribesmen killed in a drone strike as they drove to a local chromite mine.
Initial reports citing anonymous ‘officials’ said the dead were all Taliban. But they were later identified as chromite miners. Saeedur Rehman, a chromite dealer, was identified first by Pakistani newspaper The News. A report in the New York Times subsequently identified his companions as Khastar Gul, Mamrud Khan, and Noorzal Khan.
Sixty-four year old farmer Noor Magul told the New York Times that Khastar Gul, Mamrud Khan and Noorzal Khan had no militant links. A relative of the three, he said: ‘I have revenge in my heart… I just want to grab a drone by the tail and smash it into the ground.’
The four were driving through Doga Madakhel village when CIA drones struck. As many as four missiles reportedly hit the vehicle. It appears to have been a substantial blast: a house was reportedly damaged in the attack. The bodies were reportedly badly mutilated. They were buried in Danday Darpakhel, a village near Miranshah.
Chromite is a mineral used in the manufacturing of steel. It is easily accessible in surface deposits in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Criminal mining syndicates are reportedly removing chromite from Afghanistan’s Khost province. This illicit material is smuggled into Pakistan where the Taliban and Haqqani Network are reportedly paid by smugglers to ensure safe passage across North Waziristan.
Noor Magul, farmer from NWA (NYT)