Two white British men who were fighting alongside Al Qaeda militants in Pakistan have been killed in a drone attack, it was reported last night.
One of the men was identified by Taliban sources as 25-year-old Gerry Smith, whose Islamic name is Mansoor Ahmed, according to the officials. The second was only identified as Stephen, 48, but also goes by Abu Bakar.
The men died five days ago when a Hellfire missile was discharged from a remote-controlled American drone in the town of Datta Khel, in North Waziristan.
Deadly: A U.S. drone with Hellfire missiles
Target: The men were killed in the tribal area of northern Pakistan
hey were in a vehicle with two other fighters when they were hit by the missile. It is not known whether they were crossing the border into Afghanistan.
Details of their deaths are slowly emerging following the missile strike on the Pakistan and Afghanistan borders.
It was reported that the pair had entered the area last year and had travelled to Waziristan in the lawless tribal belt bordering Afghanistan to join Al Qaeda.
The Americans believe that there are around 2,000 militants in the area. These are the ones that are targeted by drone attacks because they are deemed the most dangerous.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are aware of media reports of the death of two British nationals in Pakistan.
‘Our High Commission in Pakistan is seeking further information on these reports.’ In September another British militant called Abdul Jabber, who was from Birmingham and of Asian descent, died in a drone attack in the same area.
Although not part of official defence strategy, and not acknowledged by the CIA, drone attacks have been stepped up in recent months as the United States attempts to tackle fighters who gather openly in Pakistani villages and compounds.
There have been at least 25 such strikes in Pakistan since September, resulting in the deaths of around 50 people.
The tactic has caused controversy, with Afghan leaders claiming they cause indiscriminate civilian casualties.
A senior defence source said: ‘There was possibly an attack on two British nationals five days ago. It is not something our military have been [dealing with] as it was out of our operating area, and there was no involvement from our side.
‘The Foreign Office is investigating the reports.’
The Pentagon had no comment to make on the reported deaths last night.
