US Drone Attack Kills 6 in NW Pakistan

Posted June 20th, 2011 at 4:00 am (UTC-5)
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Pakistani officials say U.S. drones fired missiles Monday at a vehicle and a house in the northwest tribal district of Kurram near the Afghan border, killing at least six suspected militants.

U.S. drone strikes routinely target militants holed up in Pakistan's tribal belt, but the operations are normally concentrated on insurgent strongholds in Waziristan, rather than Kurram.

Earlier Monday, officials in northwest Pakistan said dozens of militants attacked the homes of two anti-Taliban tribal elders, killing at least four people and wounding several others.

Authorities say nearly 70 militants participated in the attack on the homes in the Mohmand tribal area near Afghanistan. One of the elders was wounded in the attack.

Close relatives of the men were killed in the assault, including the sons of both men.

In the same tribal region Saturday, about 50 Taliban militants attacked a military base, triggering clashes and airstrikes that left 25 militants and four soldiers dead and eight troops wounded.

The Pakistan military said precision airstrikes and ground operations that targeted militant bunkers and positions successfully secured a mountaintop that had been used as a militant stronghold.

Mohmand is one of several tribal areas where Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants frequently launch attacks against police and security positions.