MIRANSHAH, Pakistan - Two missile strikes by pilotless US drone aircraft on Wednesday killed at least nine militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan, a major al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary, intelligence officials and residents said. The first strike, made up of five missiles, targeted a militant compound and a vehicle in Mazoni village, about 10 km (6 miles) west of North Waziristan's main town of Miranshah. Two missiles were fired into Datta Kheil area, 40 km (25 miles) west of Miranshah, in the second attack. "Nine militants have been killed, eight of them are foreigners," an intelligence official said, adding that the nationality of the foreign militants could not be ascertained. US officials say the pilotless drones are one of the most effective weapons against militants. The strikes have killed senior Taliban and al Qaeda figures. But they have caused resentment in overwhelmingly Muslim Pakistan, where anti-American feeling runs high. Despite government assertions that the army and security forces have taken control of Taliban bases, militants still demonstrate the ability to attack a wide range of targets, from army headquarters to crowded markets, killing hundreds since October. Last week, six bombings killed 81 people. The Pakistani government, an ally of the United States, wants the Americans to provide them with drone technology so the country's military can carry out its own strikes.
