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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Pakistan border strike 'kills 16' | Pakistan border strike 'kills 16' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| At least 16 people have been killed in a missile strike on a building near Pakistan's northern border with Afghanistan, state television has said. | At least 16 people have been killed in a missile strike on a building near Pakistan's northern border with Afghanistan, state television has said. |
| The attack took place in the South Waziristan region, where tribal militants are based, Reuters news agency reported residents as saying. | The attack took place in the South Waziristan region, where tribal militants are based, Reuters news agency reported residents as saying. |
| The Pakistani state TV report said several missiles destroyed the house of a suspected militant leader. | The Pakistani state TV report said several missiles destroyed the house of a suspected militant leader. |
| Reuters reported the military saying seven militants were among the dead. | Reuters reported the military saying seven militants were among the dead. |
| "Initial reports suggest militants were hiding there and seven of them were killed and several wounded," an unnamed military official told the news agency. | "Initial reports suggest militants were hiding there and seven of them were killed and several wounded," an unnamed military official told the news agency. |
| A local tribesman said foreign militants were believed to be staying at the compound, in a village near Wana in South Waziristan. | A local tribesman said foreign militants were believed to be staying at the compound, in a village near Wana in South Waziristan. |
| "Militants have cordoned the blast site and are taking out bodies from the rubble," the tribesman told AFP news agency. | "Militants have cordoned the blast site and are taking out bodies from the rubble," the tribesman told AFP news agency. |
| "The missile has left only part of a boundary wall intact and turned the compound into a pile of debris," he said. | "The missile has left only part of a boundary wall intact and turned the compound into a pile of debris," he said. |
| War on militants | War on militants |
| It was not clear who launched the strike. | It was not clear who launched the strike. |
| A local tribesman, Rahim Khan, told the Associated Press that the missiles were fired from an unmanned drone aircraft. | A local tribesman, Rahim Khan, told the Associated Press that the missiles were fired from an unmanned drone aircraft. |
| US forces, operating in neighbouring Afghanistan, are believed to have been behind previous strikes in Pakistan's border region. | US forces, operating in neighbouring Afghanistan, are believed to have been behind previous strikes in Pakistan's border region. |
| In February, at least 12 people - including suspected militants - were killed in a missile attack on a house near the Afghan border. | In February, at least 12 people - including suspected militants - were killed in a missile attack on a house near the Afghan border. |
| A month earlier, a senior al-Qaeda leader, Abu Laith al-Libi, was killed in a strike in North Waziristan. | A month earlier, a senior al-Qaeda leader, Abu Laith al-Libi, was killed in a strike in North Waziristan. |
| The US considers strikes in the tribal border region - the heartland of al-Qaeda and the Taleban - to be vital in its war against Islamist militancy. | The US considers strikes in the tribal border region - the heartland of al-Qaeda and the Taleban - to be vital in its war against Islamist militancy. |
| However, the Pentagon seldom confirms them, since Pakistan publicly opposes any US strike on its territory. |