ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani officials say a suspected U.S. missile strike killed at least 12 people in a village near the Afghan border on Friday, including several suspected foreign militants.
The attack happened in North Waziristan, a Pakistani tribal region and stronghold of Taliban and al Qaeda fighters suspected of mounting attacks on U.S. troops in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Pakistan's tribal belt is considered a likely hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri. Missile attacks from unmanned U.S. aircraft in the region have increased dramatically in recent months.
Several Pakistani intelligence officials told The Associated Press that at least two missiles hit a house in Ghari Wam, a village about 28 kilometres from the frontier, at about 2 a.m. on Friday morning.
Two officials put the death toll at 12 and said they included several suspected foreign militants.
Their exact identity was not immediately clear. Taliban gunmen had cordoned the area and removed the bodies, one official said.
