World | Pakistan
14 killed during suspected US airstrikes in Pakistan
Suspected US drones fired missiles into Pakistan on Friday killing at least 14 people, intelligence officials and residents said, in the first such strikes since Barack Obama became US president.
- Agencies
- Published: 22:20 January 23, 2009
Peshawar: Suspected US drones fired missiles into Pakistan on Friday killing at least 14 people, intelligence officials and residents said, in the first such strikes since Barack Obama became US president.
Frustrated over what it sees as Pakistan's failure to stem the flow of al Qaeda and Taliban militants from its lawless tribal regions into Afghanistan, the United States stepped up cross-border attacks last year.
There were separate strikes in the northwestern border regions of North and South Waziristan.
In the first attack, three missiles hit a house in a village 2 km (1 mile) west of Mir Ali, a major town in North Waziristan, the officials said.
"Nine bodies have been pulled out the rubble," Ismail Wazir, a villager told reporters.
He said the owner of the house, two brothers and three nephews were among the dead while intelligence officials said some foreign militants were also killed.
There was no information on the identify of the foreign militants.
In the second strike, a suspected drone fired a missile into a house near Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, killing five people. Another security official said eight people were killed.
There was no sign the strikes hit any of Al Qaida's top leadership.
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