21 killed in attack near Pakistan border

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Amid an intensifying campaign of U.S. airstrikes aimed at Taliban and al-Qaida figures, a missile attack Friday in Pakistan's tribal areas killed at least 21 people, local and intelligence officials said.

At least two-thirds of the people killed in the strike in North Waziristan were believed to be Islamic militants, but it was not immediately clear whether any senior figure was among the dead.

Residents said they believed the attack was launched from a U.S. Predator drone. The unmanned aircraft have long been used against targets in the tribal areas, but such strikes have become much more frequent over the past two months.

News reports identified 16 of the dead as "foreigners" -- a term usually meant to describe insurgents from Arab countries or Central Asia. Two women and a child also were reported to be killed in the strike, which was the second of its kind in the tribal areas this week and the eighth in the last month.

A Pakistani military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, said he had no information about the missile strike.

U.S.-launched strikes inside Pakistan are a highly contentious topic. The country's new civilian leadership says it supports the war on the Taliban and al-Qaida, but also has insisted that Pakistan's sovereignty be respected.

The U.S. strikes are extremely unpopular with Pakistanis, many of whom feel the Bush administration is running roughshod over their own leaders. Anger peaked over a rare cross-border raid by U.S. ground forces on Sept. 3.

The compound targeted Friday, located in the Momadkhel district, close to the Afghan border, was believed to be owned by two Afghan nationals. The area is about 12 miles west of Miran Shah, North Waziristan's main town.

Another strike earlier this week killed eight people in the nearby village of Khushali Toori Khel.

Special correspondent Ali reported from Peshawar and Times staff writer King from Istanbul, Turkey.

AP-NY-10-03-08 1645EDT