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Suspected US missile strike reported in Pakistan
ISHTIAQ MAHSUD Associated Press Writer
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: NEWS
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) - A suspected U.S. missile strike targeted two areas in a Pakistani tribal region near the Afghanistan border on Thursday, killing at least nine people, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
Also Thursday, bombings targeting police killed 10 people and wounded 14 in Pakistan's volatile northwest and the capital - reminders of the challenge facing the country as its lawmakers pursue a national anti-terror consensus.
The alleged missile strikes appeared to be part of a surge in U.S. cross border assaults from Afghanistan on alleged militant targets in Pakistan, which have strained ties between the two anti-terror allies.
One missile strike occurred at a house in Tappi village in North Waziristan tribal region. Some of those killed were believed to be foreigners, said two local Pakistani intelligence officials, citing reports from informants and agents.
A local tribesman, Shoaib Dawar, said Taliban militants surrounded the house. He said drones were heard in the area before the strike.
A second alleged strike was reported at a house in the village of Dande Darpa Khel. The site was near a seminary of veteran Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, considered an archenemy of the U.S. No casualties were immediately reported.
The intelligence officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The army could not immediately be reached for comment.
U.S. Defense Department spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said "I have no information on any alleged strike."
Al-Qaida and Taliban militants have used Pakistan's tribal areas as bases from which to attack U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, spurring U.S. frustration with Pakistan. The tribal regions also are considered potential hiding places for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri.
Pakistani officials have protested that such strikes violate the nation's sovereignty. The U.S. rarely acknowledges such missile strikes. Some of the strikes are believed to be carried out by the CIA, which is said to use Predator drones.
Also Thursday, bombings targeting police killed 10 people and wounded 14 in Pakistan's volatile northwest and the capital - reminders of the challenge facing the country as its lawmakers pursue a national anti-terror consensus.
The alleged missile strikes appeared to be part of a surge in U.S. cross border assaults from Afghanistan on alleged militant targets in Pakistan, which have strained ties between the two anti-terror allies.
One missile strike occurred at a house in Tappi village in North Waziristan tribal region. Some of those killed were believed to be foreigners, said two local Pakistani intelligence officials, citing reports from informants and agents.
A local tribesman, Shoaib Dawar, said Taliban militants surrounded the house. He said drones were heard in the area before the strike.
A second alleged strike was reported at a house in the village of Dande Darpa Khel. The site was near a seminary of veteran Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, considered an archenemy of the U.S. No casualties were immediately reported.
The intelligence officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The army could not immediately be reached for comment.
U.S. Defense Department spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said "I have no information on any alleged strike."
Al-Qaida and Taliban militants have used Pakistan's tribal areas as bases from which to attack U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, spurring U.S. frustration with Pakistan. The tribal regions also are considered potential hiding places for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri.
Pakistani officials have protested that such strikes violate the nation's sovereignty. The U.S. rarely acknowledges such missile strikes. Some of the strikes are believed to be carried out by the CIA, which is said to use Predator drones.
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