US strikes in Pak tribal areas kills 21

Peshawar, Oct 4 : United States air strikes on three villages in North Waziristan have killed at least 21 people and wounded several others.

Intelligence officials said a pilotless drone aircraft launched an attack on the village of Mohammad Khel, 30 kilometres west of Miranshah, North Waziristan's main urban centre, at around 9:30 p.m. on Friday.

One intelligence official said at least 12 people had been killed in the attack, including some foreigners.

However, Taliban sources in the area said that eight people were killed and seven were wounded.

Pakistani intelligence officials reported another US airstrike earlier on Friday, this time on the North Waziristan village of Datta Khel, situated closer to the border with Afghanistan, in which at least three were killed.

There was no immediate confirmation from either the Pakistani military or from the US-led coalition fighting in Afghanistan.

Pakistan Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said officers were investigating the reported strikes, but could not confirm them.

The attacks come on the back of an earlier strike that occurred on Wednesday, eight kilometers south of the town of Mir Ali, in which at least five people were reported to have died.

The tension between America and Pakistan in the past one month has heightened over repeated drone strikes in the tribal areas.

The attack is the latest in a string of incidents on the rugged NWFP that have strained Pak-US ties, including a clash between Pakistani troops and US-led forces in Afghanistan.

ANI