Officials: Afghan 'Spy' Killed over U.S. Drone Strikes
Militants on Wednesday dumped the mutilated body of a purported Afghan spy accused of collaborating on U.S. drone strikes that killed a prominent warlord in Pakistan this month, officials said.
The body of the man identified as Asmatullah Kharoti was found in Wana, the main town of the South Waziristan tribal district, which borders Afghanistan.
Local officials said he had been shot dead and there were wounds on his neck.
Two notes on the body ordered the remains to be left on the roadside until 10:00 am (0500 GMT) "so that everyone could see the fate of spies,” and the second accusing him of being a spy and being responsible for U.S. drone attacks.
"He is a spy and was giving information to U.S. and ISAF forces in Afghanistan about our activities," a local official quoted the note as saying.
"He is responsible for the killing of five of our senior members, including Mullah Nazir, in drone attacks. He confessed that he installed chips in digital Korans."
Nazir was killed in a U.S. drone strike on January 2. He was the main militant commander in South Waziristan and sent insurgents to fight U.S., NATO and Afghan government troops in Afghanistan, and was accused of sheltering al-Qaida.
He was one of the most high-profile victims of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan, which Islamabad publicly criticizes as a violation of sovereignty but which U.S. officials believe are a vital weapon in the war against Islamist militants.
Two militants from Nazir's group who spoke to Agence France Presse accused Kharoti of giving Nazir a digital Koran, fitted with chips to track his movements, during a meeting at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan.
"He presented Nazir and others digital Korans as a gift which were fitted with chips which help U.S. drones strike their targets," one of the militants said.
"When Mullah Nazir was returning, US drones fired missiles at him in Pakistani area," he said.
Source: Agence France Presse
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