Suspected US missile strike kills eight Taliban in Pakistan

A suspected US missile strike on a Taliban bastion in north-western Pakistan killed at least eight militants Wednesday, an intelligence official said.

Six missiles fired allegedly by US Predator drones at around 1.30 a.m. flattened a hill-top militant hideout near the Karwan Manza village in the restive South Waziristan tribal district near the Afghan border.

"Eight militants have been killed and another five wounded in the strike on the Taliban position," the official said on condition of anonymity.

All those killed were fighters of the top Pakistani Taliban commander and Al Qaeda facilitator, Baitullah Mehsud.

It was not immediately clear whether there were any foreign militants among the dead.

The attack in the region's Ladha sub-district came a day after a similar strike killed at least a dozen militants. It was the fourth suspected US raid in South Waziristan within a week.

Pakistani security forces are preparing for a decisive offensive against Mehsud and his loyalists, who are blamed for nearly 90 percent of terrorist attacks in the country during the last two years.

Limited airstrikes have been carried out by Pakistani jets in recent weeks to soften up Taliban defences, while ground troops have secured land routes ahead of the main onslaught.

Pakistan has protested the US drone attacks, saying they complicated its efforts against militancy by fuelling anti-American sentiments in the country.

Last updated on Jul 8^th, 2009 at 12:44 pm IST--DPA