Mir Ali, Pakistan: Suspected U.S. missiles hit a vehicle carrying three alleged militants in Pakistan`s northwest on Friday, the latest in a barrage of strikes by unmanned planes on the Taliban stronghold, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
The officials say a pair of missiles hit a moving vehicle in Pir Kali village in North Waziristan. The area is home to a mix of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban fighters who target American and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Taliban fighters and local tribesmen fired at three more drones still hovering after the attack, but their assault rifles could not hit the aircraft. The two Pakistani officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media on the record.
The U.S. has ramped up its officially unacknowledged drone attacks in Pakistan`s lawless border region, launching more than 100 missile strikes this year in an attempt to kill key Taliban and al-Qaida figures.
Most of the attacks have been in North Waziristan, where Islamist militants run terrorist training camps and plot attacks in Afghanistan.
The U.S. has pressured Pakistan to launch a military offensive in North Waziristan to bring the border region under control. But the army has said its forces are stretched thin fighting the Taliban in other areas and dealing with the aftermath of the country`s worst floods, which have driven about 7 million people from their homes.
PTI
