US drone attack kills five in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - A suspected US missile attack along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan killed five people Saturday, security officials said.

The attack took place in Hamzooni, an area near the Tochi River in North Waziristan, a base for Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters launching cross-border raids on NATO-led forces in Afghanistan.

“Three drone aircraft took part in the action,” said a local intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “One of these fired two missiles on a vehicle that was completely destroyed. All five people in it died.”

A second intelligence official confirmed the incident and the death toll.

Both officials however said that the identity of those killed were not known yet.

The US has ramped up its covert drone campaign against suspected Islamist insurgents in Pakistan’s tribal region. More than 200 people have died in over 40 strikes since the beginning of September.

Pakistan has repeatedly condemned the attacks, saying they violate its sovereignty. But analysts believe Pakistani intelligence officials secretly help their US counterparts in identifying possible targets.