Missile strikes kill 14 in Pakistan

Two suspected US missile attacks hit alleged militant targets in a Pakistani tribal area today, killing at least 14 people.

The strikes, bringing to 12 the number of attacks this month, occurred in a part of North Waziristan region dominated by the Haqqani and Hafiz Gul Bahadur networks of militants fighting US troops across the border in Afghanistan.

In the first strike, missiles from an unmanned plane destroyed a house in the northern part of Shawal village, killing 10 suspected insurgents, according to intelligence officials.

Several hours later, a vehicle was struck in Kuttab Khel village close to Miran Shah in North Waziristan, killing four alleged militants and wounding a fifth, officials said.

Bahadur struck a truce with the Pakistani military and agreed to stay on the sidelines last year as it waged an offensive in the South Waziristan tribal area against the Pakistani Taliban, a group dedicated to attacking the Pakistani state, among other targets.

Bahadur has focused instead on battling US and Nato troops in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has condemned the American missile strikes as violations of its sovereignty, warning the civilian casualties they cause deepen anti-US sentiment and complicate the fight against terrorism. But many suspect the two countries have a deal allowing the attacks.

The United States does not acknowledge firing the missiles, which are believed to be fired from unmanned drones launched from Afghanistan or Pakistan and piloted remotely from the US.