By Hafiz Wazir
WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A missile struck a house in aPakistani region known as a safe haven for al Qaeda militantsearly on Thursday, killing at least eight people, residents andintelligence officials said.
The attack took place near Kaloosha village in the SouthWaziristan tribal region on the Afghan border.
"The blast shook the entire area, about eight people werekilled," Behlool Khan, a resident of the area, told Reuters.
A security official said he believed the missile was firedby U.S. forces, who are operating in neighbouring Afghanistan.
U.S. forces have fired missiles at militants on thePakistani side of the border several times in recent years,most recently in late January when one of Osama bin Laden's toplieutenants, Abu Laith al-Libi, was killed.
That missile was believed to have been fired by a U.S.pilotless drone.
However, neither U.S. nor Pakistani authorities officiallyconfirm U.S. missile attacks on Pakistani territory, whichwould be an infringement of Pakistani sovereignty.
Pakistan, an important U.S. ally despite widespread publicopposition to the U.S.-led campaign against al Qaeda and theTaliban, says foreign troops would never be allowed to operateon its territory.
Many al Qaeda members, including Uzbeks and Arabs, andTaliban militants took refuge in North and South Waziristan, aswell as in other areas on the Pakistani side of the borderafter U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban in Afghanistan in2001.
From sanctuaries in the lawless border belt, the Talibanhave orchestrated their insurgency against the Afghangovernment and the U.S. and NATO forces supporting it.
Increasingly, so-called Pakistani Taliban have beenmounting attacks in Pakistani towns and cities, many aimed atsecurity forces and other government targets.
(Additional reporting by Alamgir Bitani; Writing by ZeeshanHaider; Editing by Robert Birsel and Sanjeev Miglani)
