American drone on Thursday fired missiles in South Waziristan tribal region, killing six people and injuring five others, witnesses said. At least three missiles hit two houses of tribesmen in Saam Sagharzai area in Ladha, they said. The fresh attack came a day after top Pakistani, Afghan armies and ISAF chief met in Rawalpindi to review co-operation against Taliban and al Qaeda remnants.
The meeting agreed on better co-ordination to avoid misunderstanding surfaced recently due to intrusion of US forces into Pakistani territory and missile attacks. Despite Pakistan's protest, the US drones have continued attacks in the tribal regions to hit suspected militants, but locals say mostly civilians are killed.
Witnesses said that two houses of local tribesmen were completely destroyed in the attack at around 12 noon. They said that a vehicle was also destroyed. TV channels reported that foreigners were among those killed in the strike. Witnesses said they had seen the US drone flying over the area before the attack.
The US fired the missile in area controlled by chief of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Baitullah Mehsood, witnesses said. They further said they had seen four bodies being pulled from the rubble of the house. They feared the toll could rise, as a number of people were present in the house at the time of the attack.
People kept away from Ghazi Khan Mehsud's house and did not immediately launch rescue operations as two drones were seen flying over the area even after the explosions occurred. This was the first time that the suspected US drones have struck an area inhabited by the Mehsud tribe and under the control of Baitullah Mehsud. Thursday's attack was the latest in a series of missile strikes by the US drones in Pakistan's tribal belt, bordering Afghanistan.