Thousands protest after a suspected drone strike kills 4 children in Pakistan

Local elders in Pakistan's restive northwest say a suspected drone strike has killed four children and wounded five others

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A suspected drone strike killed four children and wounded five others in Pakistan’s restive northwest, prompting thousands of residents to stage a protest by placing the children’s bodies on a main road to demand justice, local elders said on Tuesday.

It was unclear who was behind Monday's attack in Mir Ali, which has been a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban, and there was no comment from the army about the incident.

“We are not blaming anyone, but we want justice, and the government should tell us who killed our children,” local tribal elder Mufti Baitullah said.

He warned that the protest, currently staged at one regional roadblock, could expand if authorities fail to answer. “We will not bury the bodies until we are told who is responsible for killing our innocent children,” he said, as people chanted “we want justice.”

The civilian casualties came amid ongoing military operations against the Pakistani Taliban, which have a strong presence in Mir Ali, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are a separate insurgent group from the Afghan Taliban, and they often target troops in the region.

Nayak Muhammad Dawar, a provincial minister, condemned the attack in a statement Tuesday. He said investigations were ongoing.

Mir Ali and nearby districts located near Afghanistan were long a base for the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. The TTTP have stepped up attacks in the region in recent months.

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Associated Press writer Rasool Khan contributed to this story from Peshawar, Pakistan.

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