Suspected Missile Strike Kills Six in South Waziristan Region of Pakistan

Via Yahoo News! (AP) -

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan - A suspected U.S. missile strike killed at least six people Wednesday, hours after the top U.S. military officer told Pakistani leaders that America respected Pakistan's sovereignty amid a furor over American strikes into Pakistan's northwest.

Two Pakistani intelligence officials told The Associated Press that several missiles hit a compound in the South Waziristan tribal region early Wednesday evening. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak openly to the media.

The officials said the target was a base for Taliban militants and Hezb-i-Islami, another group fighting U.S. and government troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

They said informants in the area had reported that six people were dead and three more injured. Their identities were not immediately clear.

The officials said an unmanned drone of the type used by the CIA and U.S. forces in Afghanistan was heard in the area shortly before the attack.

Maj. Murad Khan, a spokesman for the Pakistan army, said it was looking into the incident.

Earlier Wednesday, the American Embassy said that Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, vowed to respect Pakistan's sovereignty — a commitment apparently aimed at easing controversy over a rash of U.S. attacks on militant havens near the border with Afghanistan.

Mullen met separately with army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for what a U.S. Embassy statement called "extremely frank, positive and constructive" discussions.

"The Pakistani leaders reviewed the progress of Pakistan's efforts to combat militancy, violence and terrorism," the embassy statement said. "Adm. Mullen appreciated the positive role that Pakistan is playing in the war on terror and pledged continued U.S. support to Pakistan.

"In this context, Adm. Mullen reiterated the U.S. commitment to respect Pakistan's sovereignty and to develop further U.S.-Pakistani cooperation and coordination on these critical issues that challenge the security and well-being of the people of both countries," it said.