20 Reported Killed In U.S. Missile Strike In NW Pakistan

In Pakistan, at least 20 suspected militants, including foreigners, are reported to have been killed in a missile strike by a suspected remote-piloted U.S. drone aircraft in the North Waziristan region, close to the Afghan border.

Security officials in the region are quoted as saying two missiles hit a compound near Miranshah, the main town in the northwestern tribal district.

An AP report quotes intelligence officials as saying as many as 16 of the dead appeared to be Afghan militants connected to the anti-U.S. Haqqani network.

A Reuters report quotes an intelligence official as saying "the dead included local Taliban as well as some Arabs and Uzbek nationals."

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

U.S. officials have called eliminating militant hideouts in the region key to establishing stability and winding down the war in Afghanistan.

compiled from Radio Mashaal and agency reports