Nine killed by U.S. missile in Pakistan

BANNU, Pakistan, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A U.S. missile killed nine people Friday at an Islamic school in Pakistan where a suspected militant leader was thought to be staying, an analyst says.

Analyst Bill Roggio said U.S. military leaders likely approved the launch of an unmanned drone armed with a Hellfire missile at the North Waziristan site amid reports of the school being used as a Taliban training center, The Times of London reported.

Roggio said the specific target of the deadly attack was likely Siraj Haqqani, thought to be a close ally of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

"(Siraj Haqqani) is believed to be the mastermind of the most deadly attacks inside Afghanistan as well as the senior military commander in eastern Afghanistan," he said. "Siraj is believed to be dangerous not only for his connections with the Afghan Taliban but with al-Qaida's central leadership, which extends all the way to Osama bin Laden."

No details were available regarding the identities the reported fatalities from Friday's missile strike.