Missiles Kill 12 In North-West Pakistan

Source Article HERE.

From 'Sydney Morning Herald': Suspected US missiles have killed 12 people in the al-Qaeda stronghold of north-west Pakistan. Several of the dead in the missile strike close to the Afghan border were foreign militants, intelligence officials said, but there was no immediate indication they were senior figures. The United States is suspected of having launched 19 missiles from unmanned drones based in Afghanistan since mid-August, killing scores of suspected extremists. The attacks are aimed at al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders sheltering in the region and blamed for rising violence in neighbouring Afghanistan. Some fear they could be planning terror attacks in the West.

Under fire from the missile strikes and a bloody Pakistan military offensive, the militants have hit back with suicide bombings, abductions and assassinations. About 20 km from Peshawar, army helicopters killed 20 alleged militants in several villages, said city police chief Mohammad Suleman. Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said he believed Pakistani Taliban fighters were behind the kidnappings. "Ultimately it leads to Tahreek-e-Taliban," Malik said, referring to the group by its Pakistani name.

The missile attack occurred in North Waziristan, a militant hotbed and the scene of most of the other suspected US strikes. Three Pakistani intelligence officials told AP at least two missiles hit a house in Ghari Wam, a village about 30 km from the border. Two officials put the death toll at 12 and said it included several suspected foreign militants. Taliban gunmen had cordoned the area and removed the bodies, one official said. Another official put the toll at 13 and said 10 were foreigners.