US drone attack kills 13 in Pakistan (Lead, changing dateline

PESHAWAR - A US drone fired three missiles into Pakistan’s tribal region along the Afghan border, killing 13 people, including women and children, intelligence officials said.

The airstrikes took place in Darga Mandi village in North Waziristan tribal district, a known hotbed of Taliban and Al Qaeda militants.

An intelligence official who requested anonymity said the missiles fired from a US unmanned plane destroyed parts of a mud compound.

“According to the reports we have received here four men, five women and four children died in the attack. The identities of those killed were not known yet,” the official said.

A second intelligence source who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said the compound belonged to a Taliban fighter associated with Afghan war-lord Jalaluddin Haqqani. However he was not sure who was the target of the drone attack.

The Haqqani network, which is part of Taliban movement, is believed to be behind dozens of cross border attacks on international forces in Afghanistan.