At least 14 people have been killed after missiles, believed to have been fired from a U.S. drone aircraft, hit a suspected militant hideout in Pakistan.
Witnesses and officials reported the missile attack Thursday in the Kurram tribal region in western Pakistan, near Afghanistan. Reports from the region quote unnamed Pakistani officials as saying the missiles destroyed a training camp for Taliban militants.
The United States has carried out a number of missile strikes on suspected al-Qaida and Taliban targets in Pakistan's border region since last year. The Pakistani government has condemned the attacks as a violation of its territorial sovereignty.
Pakistan is under intense international pressure to fight a growing Islamist insurgency and to rid itself of the Taliban and other militants believed to be based in the country's tribal regions.
Earlier Thursday, Pakistan's military reported killing 18 militants during an operation in Mohmand tribal region.
The area is just south of Bajaur, where some of the heaviest fighting has taken place between security forces and Islamic militants. This week, Pakistani officials signed a peace deal with Bajaur tribal leaders who agreed to disband armed groups and stop harboring foreign militants.
Last month, a similar deal was made with militant leaders in the nearby Swat Valley, once a renowned tourist destination. The deal allows the imposition of Islamic law, or Sharia, in exchange for a promise from militants to end their insurgency.
