U.S. Drone Strikes Kill 10 in Pakistan

Two U.S. drone strikes on Thursday killed at least 10 militants in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt, including a commander in the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network, local officials said.

The first strike targeted the Haqqani commander in North Waziristan, killing him and three guards, while a second attack hit the Birmal area in the neighboring district of South Waziristan close to the Afghan border.

"U.S. drones fired three missiles. Six militants were killed," a Pakistani security official told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Another Pakistani official said the attack happened as militants tried to move from one area to another, about two kilometers from the Afghan border.

In Islamabad, Pakistani and U.S. diplomats on Thursday vowed to strengthen their troubled alliance two days after Washington acknowledged for the first time that it is waging "war" against militants in Pakistan.

U.S. special envoy, Marc Grossman, held talks with Pakistani leaders’ just hours after the first drone strike killed the logistics commander in the Haqqani network that the U.S. military has linked to Pakistani intelligence.