Officials: US missiles kill 15 in NW Pakistan By RASOOL DAWAR
Associated Press Writer
Jun 11, 7:08 AM EDT
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) -- A volley of U.S. missiles killed 15 alleged militants in an extremist stronghold in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, the second such strike in less than 12 hours, officials said.
T
he Obama administration regards missile attacks from drone aircraft as a key weapon against al-Qaida and the Taliban close to the Afghan border. Last month, al-Qaida's reputed No. 3 official, Mustafa al-Yazid, was reported killed in a similar strike in the North Waziristan region.
Six missiles were fired in Friday's attack on a house in a village close to the border, two intelligence officers said. They were not authorized to give their names.
Yousaf Khan, a government administrator in the region's main town of Miran Shah, said 15 alleged militants were killed.
He said officers were still gathering information about the identities of the victims.