DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan - A suspected U.S. missile strike has killed three people in a Pakistani town near the Afghan border.
Saturday's missile strike is the latest in a string of suspected cross-border U.S. attacks in a region where top al-Qaida leaders are believed to be living.
Pakistani intelligence officials say two unmanned drones were seen above Miran Shah in North Waziristan minutes before missiles hit a factory in the town.
The officials, quoting informants in the town, said three people were killed but that they had no other information.
U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment.
Al-Qaida and Taliban fighters have established bases throughout Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal regions, where they are said to plan attacks on U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan as well as violence in Pakistan.
Under U.S. pressure, Pakistan has carried out military offensives against insurgents while also trying to woo various tribes to turn against extremists. But in recent weeks, the U.S. has signalled its impatience with Pakistani efforts.
The U.S. is suspected in at least 11 missile strikes on the Pakistan side of the Afghan border since mid-August, killing more than 100 people.
The United States rarely confirms or denies the attacks, which provoke anger among many Pakistanis.
Pakistan's military and civilian leaders have criticized the strikes as violations of their country's sovereignty. But they have not forcefully demanded Washington stop them, leading to criticism from Muslim conservatives.
On Saturday, Pakistan's Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik accused the U.S. and Afghanistan of not doing enough to stop militants from crossing into its territory.
Malik said his country had arrested scores of Afghan insurgents on its side of the border, and that the militants were using rocket launchers and missiles against its troops.
Also Saturday, mourners buried victims of a suicide bombing near the border that targeted anti-Taliban tribesmen who were moving to evict militants from their region.
Government official Asghar Khan said authorities had tallied at least 34 bodies, but as many as 25 other bodies may have been taken away by relatives. Some media reports said the death toll from Friday's attack was much higher.
