US airstrike kills 13 militants in Pak

At least 13 people were killed on Friday in a suspected US aerial strike in northwest Pakistan's tribal region close to the Afghan border, officials said.

At least 13 people were killed on Friday in a suspected US aerial strike in northwest Pakistan's tribal region close to the Afghan border, officials said.

HT Image

Two missiles believed fired from drones targeted a compound in Kamsham village, around 30 km south of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, which is considered a hotbed of Al Qaeda and Taliban militants.

"According to preliminary information collected from the locals, at least 13 insurgents were killed and several more injured," a security official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the strike completely destroyed a training centre run by the local Taliban.

"Four to five foreigners also died in the attack," he added. The term "foreigner" refers to the Al Qaeda fighters of central Asian and Arab origin.

Kamsham area is dominated by the ethnic Pashtun Wazir tribe and is considered as a safe haven for Al Qaeda and Taliban militants launching cross-border attacks on US-led international forces in Afghanistan.

American forces have carried out more than a dozen airstrikes and the lone documented ground assault in Pakistan's tribal areas since August, killing scores of militants, besides causing a large number of non-combatant deaths.

Islamabad has warned the US authorities that such unilateral actions on its soil could prove "counterproductive" to the fight against terrorism.