Pakistan drone attack toll rises to 16

Islamabad : The toll in a US drone attack in Pakistan Thursday rose to 16.  The drone targeted a religious seminary in Upper Orakzai, near the Afghan border.

About 15 others were injured, Xinhua quoted the Urdu channel Geo TV as saying.

The pilotless aircraft fired four missiles at the compound, killing seven on the spot. Nine others succumbed to their injuries on the way to hospital.

The seminary was run by Maulvi Shakirullah, a close aide of the Taliban’s Haqqani Network. It was not immediately clear if he was among the dead.

The attack comes following widespread condemnation of the Taliban for shooting and grievously injuring a teenage girl who advocated girls’ education in the country.

Malala Yousufzai was attacked Tuesday in front of her school in the Swat Valley. She is currently being treated at a hospital in Rawalpindi. Her condition is serious.