ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani officials say U.S. drones fired a barrage of missiles at a vehicle and a house in a Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan today, killing at least five suspected militants.
The strikes in the North Waziristan tribal area are the first since news that a top commander of the powerful Haqqani militant network was killed in a drone strike last week.
Two intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief the media, said U.S. drones fired seven missiles at targets in a village dominated by anti-American militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur. Bahadur's faction is alleged to have been involved in frequent attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but generally shies away from carrying out operations inside Pakistan.
North Waziristan is the one tribal area where Pakistani forces have yet to carry out a military offensive against militants.
Meanwhile, a group of gunmen on motorcycles in the southwestern province of Baluchistan killed seven Shiite Muslims, as violence against the minority sect continues to escalate.
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APPHOTO ISL104: Pakistani Shiite Muslims carry the body of a person killed by gunmen at a local hospital in Quetta, Pakistan on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012. A group of gunmen on motorcycles in the southwestern province of Baluchistan killed several Shiite Muslims, as violence against the minority sect continues to escalate. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt) (1 Sep 2012)
<<APPHOTO ISL104 (09/01/12)>>
