Missiles fired from suspected US drone aircraft at an insurgent training camp in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region on the Afghan border killed nine militants today.
The United States, alarmed by worsening security in Afghanistan, has been using pilotless drone aircraft to attack Taliban and al Qaeda fighters in northwestern Pakistani enclaves, from where the militants mount attacks into Afghanistan.
At the same time, nuclear-armed Pakistan is struggling to push back a growing Taliban insurgency of its own. Its security forces have been fighting the Islamist militants in the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad, for more than a month.
The fighting in Swat and other parts of the northwest has displaced about 2.5 million people and aid officials have appealed to donors to step up their help
Two of the pilotless aircraft were used in today's strikes in the Taliban and al-Qaeda stronghold of South Waziristan, intelligence officials said.
At least four missiles were fired at the camp near a village west of the region's main town of Wana, they said.
The Pakistan military has been softening up targets in the area and is expected to expand its Swat offensive against the Taliban into South Waziristan soon.
Pakistan objects to the US missile strikes, saying they violate its sovereignty and undermine efforts to deal with militancy because they inflame public anger and bolster support for the militants.
Washington says the missile strikes are carried out under an agreement with Islamabad that allows Pakistani leaders to publicly criticise the attacks. Pakistan denies any such agreement.
In the Swat offensive, 34 insurgents had been killed and another seven captured in the past 24 hours, the Pakistani military said in a statement.