Suspected US airstrike kills 14 in Pakistan (Roundup)

Oct 24, 2009, 10:44 GMT

   Islamabad - A suspected US missile strike in Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan on Saturday killed 14 militants and injured several more, officials said.

   Missiles believed to be fired by a US-operated pilotless aircraft hit a hideout of senior Pakistani Taliban commander Maulvi Faqir Mohammad in the Damadola area in Bajaur tribal district.

   'Fourteen militants, including foreign fighters, were killed in the attack that destroyed the fortified structure,' an intelligence official in the lawless region said on condition of anonymity.

   The term 'foreigner' is used locally to refer to hardcore al-Qaeda militants of Arab or Central Asian origin.

   At least two of Mohammad's relatives were among the dead, according to an official of the local administration.

   BBC news reported that Mohammad had left the tunnel-like hideout just minutes before it was hit.

   Bajaur, which borders the Afghan Kunar province, is a known sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters who use the region to plan and carry out attacks on the Western forces in Afghanistan.

   Pakistan's military had claimed victory over the militants in Bajaur early this year after months of fighting.

   Islamabad officially criticizes US drone attacks inside its territory, arguing they violate the country's sovereignty and spread anti-American sentiments.

   Some US aerial raids have successfully taken out high-profile Taliban and al-Qaeda figures.

   In early August, a similar assault in South Waziristan, another tribal district on the Afghan border, killed Pakistan Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.