Suspected US Missiles Kill 24 in Pakistan

VOA News 17 December 2010

Suspected U.S. missile strikes have killed at least 24 people in the Khyber region of northwestern Pakistan, where such strikes are rare.

Pakistani officials say American missiles, fired by unmanned drone aircraft, struck three locations Friday in the Tirah valley.

The area is a base for a local militant group, Lashkar-e-Islami, which is allied with the Pakistani Taliban. The French news agency quotes Pakistani officials as saying at least one compound belonging to the group was hit.

A day earlier, Pakistani officials said another U.S. missile strike in the area killed seven alleged militants.

Most previous suspected U.S. missile strikes have occurred in North Waziristan, an area near the Afghan border where al-Qaida and Taliban militants are believed to be residing and operating.

Pakistan formally protests the strikes. U.S. officials do not comment on the strikes except to say they are a major weapon in the fight against terrorists.

This week's review of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan says greater cooperation is needed from Pakistan to deny a safe haven for terrorists in the border region.

In another incident Friday, Pakistani officials say militants fired mortar shells at two houses in the northwestern town of Hangu, killing nine people. The region is often the site of sectarian violence.