By IRNA,
Islamabad : Death toll from Tuesday’s night US drone strikes in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region has reached to 30, official sources said Wednesday.
Several drone aircraft Tuesday night rained volley of missiles in different parts in Waziristan to hit hideouts of suspected Taliban militants.
Locals said that some Arab and Afghan Taliban are among those died in one of the biggest attacks by the US drones.
Local media also reported that there is possibility of the killing of Siraj Haqqani, a senior Afghan Taliban leader, who is running his network in North Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan.
Haqqani, the son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, former Taliban minister, is wanted to the US for organizing attacks on US forces in Afghanistan.
Taliban sources denied reports of Haqqani dearth and say that he was not in the area at the time of the attack.
A tribal elder said on phone from Miarnshah, the center of North Waziristan, that US drone aircraft fired at least 12 missiles at three places late last night in Datta Khel area, some 45 kilometers from Miranshah.
Officials said that the missiles struck hideouts of the suspected Taliban but according to the locals civilians were among the deed.
Witnesses said that tribesmen also fired at the drones but could not hit the aircraft.
US has stepped up attacks in Waziristan tribal regions after a recent suicide attack on the CIA center in Afghanistan.
Officials said that the US has carried out 13 suspected drone strikes in North and South Waziristan.
The US has refused to stop the drone attacks despite public protest by Pakistan. US officials have claimed in the past that they took out several senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders.
Pakistan Taliban chief Baitulalh Mehsood was also killed with his wife in a similar strike on August 5 last year.
Religious parties said that Pakistani government has a secret deal with Washington allowing the strikes.
A splinter Taliban group in North Waziristan said this week that Pakistani government was passing on intelligence to the US for drone attacks, the charge denied by the authorities.