US drone strike kills '10 militants' in Pakistan
14 January 2010 06:54 am
(BBC)- Two US drone missile strikes have killed 10 suspected militants in a tribal region of north-west Pakistan, Pakistani officials say.
The missiles struck a compound in the Pasalkot area in the North Waziristan region on the Afghan border.
North Waziristan is a major sanctuary for al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.
Hundreds of people, many of them civilians, have been killed in drone attacks since mid-2008. Top Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was among them.
Reports said the missiles landed early Thursday morning in a sprawling compound which was used as a religious school in the past.
It is the fifth suspected US drone attack in North Waziristan since the beginning of the year.
Pakistan has publicly criticised drone attacks, saying they fuel support for the militants.
The US military does not routinely confirm drone attacks, but analysts say the US armed forces and CIA in Afghanistan are the only forces capable of deploying drones in the region.