Asia

Asia

US Missile Strike Kills 10 in Northwest Pakistan

14 September 2010 17:57 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Pakistani intelligence officials say a U.S. missile strike has killed at least 10 militants in the country’s northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, APA reports quoting voanews.com website.

The officials say a series of missiles fired from a drone aircraft Tuesday struck a militant compound in the Shawal district of North Waziristan.

The attack is at least the 10th missile strike the region this month.

The area is considered a stronghold for Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants accused of planning and staging cross-border attacks against NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

Last week, the U.S. launched four drone attacks in 24 hours in North Waziristan, killing 24 people.

North Waziristan is known as Pakistan’s most treacherous tribal region. The rough terrain and inadequate equipment prevents Pakistani troops from launching their own attacks against militants in the area.

The U.S. has carried out at least 100 missile attacks on militants in Pakistan’s seven tribal regions since 2008.

More than 1,000 people have been killed. Officials have not released the number of civilian casualities in those attacks.

Pakistani officials publicly condemn the attacks in the region saying it fuels militant attacks against foreign troops in Afghanistan and violates territorial sovereignty in Pakistan.