US drone strikes kill 16 in South Waziristan

MIRANSHAH: A major salvo of US missiles on Wednesday destroyed a Taliban base on the Afghan border, killing up to 16 suspected militants including possible Al-Qaeda fighters, local officials said.

Five US drones fired up to 10 missiles into a sprawling compound in the Baber Ghar area of South Waziristan, killing 16 fighters in the deadliest such American strike in three months, the Pakistani officials said.
Five US drones carried out Wednesday’s attack.
An official in Wana, the main town of South Waziristan, confirmed that a base of Pakistan’s umbrella Taliban faction, Tehreek-e-Taliban, was destroyed and said there were reports that “some foreigners” were also killed.
Officials said the attacks came minutes apart at around 2:30 am (2130 GMT Tuesday) about three kilometres (two miles) from the border of Afghanistan’s Paktia province.
Wednesday’s strike was the 63rd so far this year.