12 militants killed in US drone attack in North Waziristan

A US drone today fired two missiles in Pakistan's restive North Waziristan tribal area killing at least 12 militants, the tenth such strike this year in the region bordering Afghanistan.

The drone fired missiles in Shaktoi area of North Waziristan, officials were quoted as saying by TV news channels.

Shaktoi and its surrounding areas have been targeted by US spy planes several times over the past few days. Today's drone attack was the tenth such strike in North Waziristan this year.

Two drone attacks on Friday had killed 11 militants while another strike on Thursday had left 16 terrorists dead.

Thursday's drone attack triggered widespread speculation that Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Hakimullah Mehsud was among the dead.

Mehsud, however, issued an audio message yesterday in which he said he was alive and well and warned that the Taliban would retaliate against further drone attacks. 

The US stepped up drone attacks in North Waziristan after a suicide bomber linked to the Pakistani Taliban killed seven CIA operatives at a forward base in the neighbouring Khost province in Afghanistan.

The Taliban recently released a video in which the bomber responsible for the Khost attack was shown with Hakimullah Mehsud before he carried out the strike.

The bomber said the attack's aim was to avenge the death of slain Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a drone attack in August last year.