Officials say suspected US strike kills 10, including possible al-Qaida operative, in Pakistan

Intel: Suspected US missiles kill 10 in Pakistan

PARACHINAR, Pakistan — Suspected U.S. missiles hit a house Tuesday in a Pakistani tribal region along the Afghan border where the army has been battling Taliban fighters, intelligence officials said. At least 10 suspected militants were killed, including a possible al-Qaida operative.

The two missiles struck the house, which was near Wana, the main town in the South Waziristan tribal area. The house was known to be frequented by al-Qaida members, intelligence officials said.

Aside from saying one of the dead was believed to be an al-Qaida operative, the officials would not speculate on the identities of those killed. They added, however, that they included Arabs, Turkmen and Pakistanis.

Four militants also were wounded in the attack, the four officials said on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media on the record.

Pakistan’s army has waged a major ground offensive against the Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan. The operation appears to have cleared much of the rugged region of the militants, though many have simply fled to other parts of the semiautonomous tribal belt. Still, violence continues in South Waziristan itself, indicating the Taliban remain there.

The U.S. has relied heavily on its covert missile campaign to take out al-Qaida and Taliban targets in the tribal areas. The vast majority of the missile strikes have focused on North Waziristan, home to several militant networks bent on attacking U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has denounced the missile campaign as a violation of its sovereignty. But it is widely believed to secretly assist in at least some of the strikes.

The U.S. rarely discusses the campaign publicly.

One of the most significant victories in the U.S. missile campaign came last August, when one of the drone-fired missiles that hit South Waziristan killed Baitullah Mehsud, chief of the Pakistani Taliban network.

Associated Press Writers Munir Ahmed from Islamabad and Ishtiaq Mahsud from Dera Ismail Khan contributed to this report.