Toll in US drone attacks in Pak tribal belt rises to 21

With the recovery of six more bodies from the rubble of a house hit by a missile, the death toll in the twin strikes by suspected US unmanned drones in Pakistan's North-West tribal belt climbed to 21 on Saturday.

This is probably the highest toll claimed by predator strikes in Pakistan's troubled North and South Waziristan and most of those killed are suspected to be foreign militants.

On Friday, officers said, 15 people were killed in two missile attacks on different villages in the region.

In the first strike on the home of a pro-Taliban tribesman in a village near Mir Ali in North Waziristan, some foreigners were believed to be have been killed.

In the second incident, a drone fired at least two missiles in Gangikhel area of South Waziristan Agency, killing seven persons, including three children.

Pakistan's restive tribal belt has witnessed a wave of missile strikes since mid-2008 though these were the first such attacks since the new administration of US president Barack Obama assumed office in Washington.