A suspected missile attack early Friday destroyed a militant hideout in northwest Pakistan, killing at least seven people, two intelligence officials said.
The officials said some people also were wounded when the two missiles hit a compound in the village of Dande Darpa Khel, near Miran Shah in troubled tribal region of North Waziristan.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media, said authorities stepped up security in the region following the attack and that efforts were under way to get details about the slain and injured people.
ADVERTISEMENT
The area is also believed to be frequented by associates of an Afghan Taliban leader, Siraj Haqqani, whose network is powerful in eastern Afghanistan.
The U.S. has launched dozens of such attacks, including one on Aug. 5 that reportedly killed the Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.
Although Pakistan has not officially confirmed Mehsud’s death, Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, the deputy head of the Pakistani Taliban, said this week that he had temporarily assumed leadership of the group. Mohammad claimed that Mehsud was alive but too ill to lead the militant network.
ADVERTISEMENT