MIR ALI, Pakistan (AP) _ A suspected U.S. missile strike killed at
least eight militants Friday in northwestern Pakistan, officials
said, the second attack this week in an area believed to hold many
insurgents who fled from an army offensive elsewhere in the Afghan
border region.
The attack came hours before CIA director Leon Panetta held talks
Friday with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in the capital, a
statement from Gilani's office said. The CIA is believed to be behind
the more than 40 missile strikes to have hit suspected al-Qaida and
Taliban targets over the last year.
American officials do not generally acknowledge the attacks, which
are unpopular among many here.
A U.S. drone fired two missiles at a compound being used by
suspected Taliban militants in a village near Mir Ali in North
Waziristan, according to two intelligence officials who spoke on
condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the
information.
The compound was destroyed and eight bodies were pulled from the
rubble, the officials said, adding that two other suspected militants
were wounded.
The targeted compound in the village of Shakhwadi was owned by two
brothers, and Taliban militants were frequently seen visiting the
building, which was cordoned off after the missile strike, the
officials said.
Ahmed Nawaz Dawar, a local tribesman, said Taliban militants buried
those killed and took the wounded to a hospital.
Another suspected U.S. missile strike killed three militants and
wounded four just after midnight Thursday in Shana Khuwara village in
North Waziristan, officials said.
Anti-American sentiment is pervasive throughout Pakistan. The
Pakistani government publicly condemns the U.S. strikes as violations
of its sovereignty, but many analysts believe the two countries have
a secret deal allowing them.
