ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Suspected unmanned U.S. aircraft fired missiles at alleged militant sites in Pakistan's tribal region, killing at least 18 militants Friday, officials said.
Pakistani security officials and a local Taliban commander said at least six missiles were fired at three locations in the Shawal Valley in North Waziristan tribal agency along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, The New York Times reported Friday.
The missiles struck compounds and at least two vehicles, one security official said.
The identity of the people killed in the raid wasn't immediately known, the Times said.
The Times said a senior Pakistani security officer described the militant groups in the area as a "mixed bag. ... There are [Pakistani Taliban] elements there and there are foreign militants there."
The Pakistani Foreign Office Thursday summoned a U.S. Embassy official to protest earlier strikes in North Waziristan during the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday that ended Wednesday.
By its count, CNN said, there have been 30 suspected drone strikes so far in 2012 in Pakistan.
