US missile salvo kills 15 militants in North Waziristan

MIRANSHAH: A barrage of US missile strikes killed at least 15 militants in North Waziristan on Tuesday, obliterating compounds and vehicles used by fighters, officials said.

Security officials said the first strike destroyed two compounds and killed five rebels in Ghulam Khan village, 20 kilometres east of Miranshah.

They said further strikes carried out by unmanned aircraft killed 10 militants minutes apart in Nawab village on the border with Afghanistan.

"At least 10 people were killed when US drones fired missiles at three vehicles," a senior security official told AFP.

"First a US drone fired missiles at a double-cabin pick-up truck and about 15 minutes later two more cars were struck," he said.

Security and intelligence officials in Miranshah and Peshawar confirmed the strikes and the death toll.