U.S. missile strikes pounded the hideouts of a Taliban commander in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least eight people. According to AP, Shahab Ali Shah, the top administrative official in the South Waziristan tribal area along the Afghanistan border, said the missiles hit close to the villages of Gharlamai and Nandaran, about 10 kilometers west of the Wana bazaar area. He said the death toll could rise as villagers dig through the rubble.
Two Pakistani intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to media, said a training center of Taliban commander Malang Wazir between the two villages was the target and that nine people were killed.
Two other intelligence officials, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said four missiles were fired at two sites. They put the casualties at eight dead and about two dozen wounded.