Missile attack kills 7 in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A suspected U.S. drone fired missiles at a house in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border early this morning, killing seven alleged militants, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

The strike occurred in Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal area, a key hub for Taliban and al-Qaida militants, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Most of the suspected militants killed in the attack were from the Pakistani Taliban, said the officials. Insurgents linked to Afghan militant groups who were harboring them were also killed, they said.

The U.S. has conducted around 200 drone strikes in North Waziristan in recent years, mostly targeting al-Qaida militants and Afghan Taliban fighters who are battling American troops in Afghanistan. Some of the strikes have also hit the Pakistani Taliban, who are allied with Afghan groups but have focused their fighting against the Pakistani state.

The U.S. does not acknowledge the CIA-run drone program in Pakistan publicly, but officials have said privately that the strikes have killed many senior al-Qaida and Taliban commanders.