Suspected US missile strike kills five in Pakistan

A suspected US missile strike hit the home of a Taliban commander in north-western Pakistan today, killing at least five militants, officials said.

The attack happened before dawn in the North Waziristan region, part of the Pakistani tribal belt that is considered a possible hiding place for al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Two Pakistani intelligence officials said four foreign militants and a Pakistani facilitator were believed dead in the attack in the town of Ali Khel. It was unclear if any of the victims were senior members of al Qaida or the Taliban.

The officials said the targeted house belonged to a Pakistani Taliban commander called Khaliq Noor who was known to shelter foreign militants.

Both officials said they received their information from agents in the area.

US forces have launched about 20 missile attacks since August into north-west Pakistan, a sign of frustration at Islamabad’s failure to crack down on strongholds from which militants attack American troops in neighbouring Afghanistan.

American authorities rarely confirm or deny the attacks, which are apparently launched from unmanned aircraft operated by the CIA and the US military.

Pakistan has urged Washington to halt the strikes, saying they undermine its own efforts to combat Islamic extremism and threaten to trigger a wider uprising against the government.

Militants in North Waziristan threatened after a missile strike near the town of Bannu on Wednesday that they would launch revenge attacks on foreigners and Pakistani targets.

At about the same time as Saturday’s missile strike, police said militants attacked a checkpoint in Bannu with rockets and gunfire, killing three officers.

Police official Mohammed Jan said police returned fire but that the militants managed to flee.