Suspected U.S. missile kills 7 in Pakistan: Taliban

By Kamran Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - At least one missile suspected to have been fired by a U.S. drone hit a house in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border on Wednesday, a Pakistani security official said.

The missile, which hit a house near the village of Damadola in the Bajaur tribal region, where Islamist militants have been known to operate, killed seven people including three children, a Taliban spokesman said.

"One or two missiles were fired from a drone. We don't have any details," said the security official, who declined to be identified.

In January, 2006, a CIA-operated drone Predator aircraft fired missiles at a house in Damadola in the belief al Qaeda leader bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al Zawahri, was visiting.

He was not there and at least 18 people died in the strike, several of them believed to have been al Qaeda members.

This year, U.S.-controlled Predator aircraft have struck at least three sites used by al Qaeda operatives in northwest Pakistan, killing dozens of suspected militants.

Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for Taliban militants in Pakistan, said the house that was hit belonged to an ethnic Pashtun tribesman and four Taliban militants and three children had been killed in the attack at around 8.00 p.m. (11 a.m. EDT).

Six people had been wounded, he said, adding all of the casualties were Pakistanis.

A Pakistani military spokesman said he had no information about any missile strike.

TALIBAN SAYS WILL GET REVENGE

Neither U.S. nor Pakistani authorities officially confirm U.S. missile attacks on Pakistani territory, which would be an infringement of Pakistani sovereignty.

The strike on Wednesday was the first since a new Pakistani government was formed about six weeks ago.

Allies of staunch U.S. ally President Pervez Musharraf were defeated in a February election and the new government has begun negotiating with the aim of getting Pakistani militants to end a wave of attacks.

Taliban spokesman Omar said the missile strike would not affect the peace talks with the government, but added: "We will get revenge."

The Washington Post reported in March that the United States had escalated air strikes against al Qaeda fighters operating in Pakistan's tribal areas fearing that support from Islamabad may slip away as Musharraf's power ebbed.