Pakistani sues US for drone attack

Source Reuters

A Pakistani man whose brother and son were killed by what he said was a U.S. drone strike is on an ambitious courtroom quest to get $500 million in compensation and end attacks Washington launches against top militants. Kareem Khan said a CIA-operated drone fired missiles at his house in Pakistan's North Waziristan on the night of Dec 31 2009, killing his son Zaenullah, 18, and brother Asif Iqbal. In a legal notice to U.S. officials including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and CIA Director Leon Panetta, his lawyer is demanding $500 million in compensation. "We say to them that these drone attacks you are carrying out are killing innocent people," Khan told Reuters, describing the message he wanted to convey to the Americans. Pakistan's government routinely protests against the strikes, but analysts say they could not occur without Pakistani help.