US drone strike kills three in Pakistan: officials

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan - Agence France-Presse

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A US drone fired two missiles on a suspected militant compound in northwest Pakistan today killing three people, security officials said.
 
One missile hit a house in the Tappi area about 20 kilometres (12 miles) east of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan tribal district, a stronghold of Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants, while the other hit a vehicle parked outside, a security official said.
 
"The missiles killed three people," the official said.
 
Security officials in the northwestern city of Peshawar confirmed the attack and the death toll.
 
Locals said three cows, apparently meant for sacrificing on the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Adha being celebrated in the tribal region on Friday, were also killed in the attack.
 
Wednesday's attack was the third by unmanned US aircraft in Miranshah this month. On October 11, 18 insurgents, most reportedly Afghans, were killed in a drone strike in the nearby tribal region of Orakzai in the deadliest attack in more than a year.
 
The covert US attacks are unpopular in Pakistan, where the government slams them as a violation of sovereignty, but American officials believe they are a vital weapon against Islamist militants.
 
Earlier this month, cricket legend turned politician Imran Khan led thousands of supporters in a motorcade from the capital Islamabad to the edge of the tribal belt to protest against the US strikes.