* Al Qaeda-linked suspects among those killed in missile attack
MIRANSHAH/MIR ALI: US drones fired four missiles at a house in North Waziristan on Tuesday, 40 kilometres west of the agency headquarters near the Pak-Afghan border, killing 10 Taliban.
The airstrike occurred around 12:45pm in Manzarkhel village located in Dattakhel tehsil.
US spy aircraft were hovering over the area until the filing of this report. However, AP quoted two intelligence officials as saying that an apparent US missile attack destroyed a suspected Taliban compound in North Waziristan, killing at least nine people. Those killed also included al Qaeda-linked suspects, AFP quoted officials as saying. “Five missiles were fired by US drones,” a security official said.
Target unknown: However, it was not clear who was targeted in the strike in the Dattakhel region, two officials said on condition of anonymity. An unknown number of people were injured.
The area is the home of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a powerful warlord whose fighters are battling US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Three other security officials confirmed the strike and gave the same death toll. Taliban cordoned off the area and were searching the rubble, where two cars were also destroyed in the strike, a local administration official said.
In Karachi, police arrested Salman Mehsud, a Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan commander, who was wanted for kidnapping and various other charges. Mehsud was captured with two kilogrammes of explosives and a pistol, senior police officer Sarwar Commando said.
staff report/agencies
Tags: 40 kilometres, agency headquarters, Al Qaeda linked, AP, missile attack, North Waziristan drone, Pak Afghan, Pakistan commander, Salman Mehsud, Tahreek-e-Taliban, US and NATO
