DERA ISMAIL KHAN, PAKISTAN // Militants buried the bodies of comrades who were among at least 20 people killed when suspected US missiles hit a house near the Afghan border, Pakistani officials said. The United States has launched a flurry of strikes in recent weeks against suspected al Qa'eda and Taliban targets in North-western Pakistan, straining ties between the two anti-terror allies. Pakistan has been unable or unwilling to eliminate militant sanctuaries blamed for rising violence on both sides of the border. The frontier region is believed to be a possible hiding place for al Qa'eda leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri. The latest strike reportedly took place yesterday in Mohammadkhel, a village in the North Waziristan region. The area is a stronghold of Jalaluddin Haqqani, a veteran Taliban commander whom US generals count among their most dangerous foes. Two Pakistani intelligence officials, citing reports from field agents and informants, said 14 Taliban militants and eight Arabs died in the attack about 45km west of Miran Shah, the region's main town. The Taliban included a Haqqani commander who had invited the others to dinner, they said. The commander, his father and two young sons were among the dead Taliban, the officials said. Six of the Arabs were buried in the village this morning, while militants took the other two bodies to an undisclosed location, they said. Speaking anonymously, they said they had no information indicating that any senior militant leader was killed. Pakistan army spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas also said initial reports indicated that 20 or more people were killed. He said there was "speculation" that many were foreign militants, but added that the army was still awaiting a detailed report. "One has to establish how many foreigners, or whether they were militants, how many civilians," Mr Abbas said. The intelligence officials said there was a second missile strike yesterday in the nearby village of Khata Kaly, but had no reports of casualties. Lt Nathan Perry, a spokesman for the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, said he had "no information to give" about the reported attacks. He did not deny US involvement. The strike in Mohammadkhel appeared to be the deadliest of 11 reported cross-border operations by US-led forces since Aug 20. US officials have acknowledged some of the strikes. However, they have provided few details, and casualty reports from the dangerous and remote border region are nearly impossible to verify. Pakistan's military and civilian leaders have complained that the attacks violate the country's sovereignty, kill civilians and anger the local population, making it harder to crack down on the militants. Militants on the Pakistan side of the border are blamed for a surge in attacks on US and Nato troops in Afghanistan, where violence is running at its highest level since the 2001 US-led invasion toppled the Taliban. Extremists based in the border region are also blamed for rising attacks within Pakistan, including the massive Sept 20 lorry bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad that killed more than 50 people. The attack prompted the UN and the British Embassy this past week to order the children of their foreign staff to leave the city. Today, The Marriott announced that its laundry and catering services had reopened. The owner of the hotel, a popular hangout for Pakistan's elite and its expatriate community, plans to reopen it within three or four months. * AP
