US drone strike kills three in Pakistan: officials

MIRANSHAH:
A US drone aircraft fired two missiles at a suspected militant compound in North Waziristan’s main town Miranshah on Thursday, killing three people, security officials said.

The drone "fired two missiles on a house. Three militants have been killed," a senior security official in Peshawar told AFP.

The nationalities of the dead were unclear but another intelligence official in the area said two of them were reported to be foreigners.

"We are investigating the report and also about their nationality," he told AFP.


The area around Khaddi is known for the presence of two militant groups loyal to Taliban-linked Afghan warlords Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Moulvi Sadiq Noor, officials said. The two men are reputed to control thousands of fighters who attack US-led forces across the border in Afghanistan.

More than 900 people have been killed in nearly 100 drone strikes since August 2008.

The United States has been increasing pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terrorist havens along the Afghan border.

Military officials have not ruled out an offensive in North Waziristan, but argue that gains elsewhere need to be consolidated otherwise their troops would be stretched too thin.
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