US missile strike kills 4 suspected militants in NW Pakistan, 2nd strike in less than 12 hours

US drones kill 4 militants in northwest Pakistan

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — Intelligence officials say a suspected U.S. missile strike has killed four militants in northwestern Pakistan.

The attack Sunday evening in North Waziristan was the second in less than 12 hours in Pakistan’s militant-infested tribal region along the Afghan border.

The officials said the unmanned aircraft fired two missiles at a house near Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Earlier Sunday, a U.S. missile strike killed five militants in South Waziristan, previously the headquarters of Pakistani Taliban.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — Unmanned U.S. aircraft fired four missiles at a house in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing five suspected militants in the second drone strike in as many days, intelligence officials said.

The U.S. has launched more than 100 missile strikes in Pakistan’s semiautonomous tribal area along the Afghan border over the past several years. Most have them have targeted militants in North and South Waziristan, important sanctuaries for Afghan and Pakistani Taliban fighters.

The house that was destroyed Sunday was in Shaktoi, a village along the border of North and South Waziristan. The attack, which actually occurred in South Waziristan, also wounded four suspected militants, said the intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The strike came a day after U.S. aircraft fired six missiles at a compound in the Nazai Narai area of South Waziristan, killing 16 suspected militants. The hide-out was known to be frequented by foreign fighters who were among the dead, intelligence officials said.

The U.S. refuses to publicly acknowledge the covert CIA-run drone program in Pakistan, but officials have said privately that it has killed several senior Taliban and al-Qaida figures.

One of the reasons the U.S. has relied so heavily on the missile strikes is that it has been unable to convince the Pakistani military to target Afghan Taliban fighters in North Waziristan who regularly launch cross-border attacks against U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Many analysts believe Pakistan’s reluctance is driven by the military’s belief that the Taliban could be useful allies in Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw.

Pakistan publicly condemns the U.S. missile strikes, but it has secretly helped Washington in previous attacks.