US missile attack kills seven militants in Pakistan

PESHAWAR - An unmanned US aircraft fired two missiles at a militant hideout in Pakistan’s restive tribal region near the Afghan border Saturday, killing at least seven rebels, an intelligence official said.

The attack took place in the Issoree area of Mir Ali, a major town in the tribal district of North Waziristan that is a known hotbed of Taliban and Al Qaeda militants.

“The missiles hit the militants at a compound that belongs to a tribesman when they were saying Tarveeh Prayers,” the intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity said referring to a special late night prayer offered only in Ramdan.

“Our local informants are saying that among the seven dead are five foreign fighters,” he added. The term “foreigner” is used to refer to the Islamist insurgents from Arab and Asian countries linked with the Al Qaeda terrorist organisation.

“We are still trying to exactly identify them. Let’s see if there is any major Al Qaeda figure among them,” the intelligence official said.