PESHAWAR: US missiles killed 18 militants in Pakistan's tribal district of South Waziristan on Monday, destroying compounds and a vehicle in the deadliest drone strikes for months, local officials said. Three strikes were reported just days after Pakistani officials said they believed senior Al-Qaeda commander Ilyas Kashmiri had died in a similar attack late Friday, also in South Waziristan which borders Afghanistan. The first strike killed seven militants in the early hours in Shalam Raghzai, 10 km northwest of Wana, the district's main town. A second struck a compound in Wacha Dana, 12 km northwest of Wana, killing eight militants, Pakistani officials said. The third hit around eight hours later in the Dray Nishtar area, which lies on the border with North Waziristan, about 30 kilometers from the site of the other two raids. – Agence France
