Authorities in Pakistan say two suspected U.S. drone attacks have killed at least 16 militants in the northwestern part of the country.
Pakistani intelligence officials say the missile strikes hit two houses Saturday in the Datta Khel village of the North Waziristan tribal region, along the border with Afghanistan.
Elsewhere in the northwest Saturday, Pakistani police say gunmen killed a moderate Islamic scholar and a person working for him in the city of Mardan. The murdered scholar, Mohammad Farooq Khan, had been the vice chancellor of Swat University.
Increasing U.S. drone strikes and recent NATO border incursions in northwest Pakistan have raised tensions between foreign forces and Islamabad.
Officials say there were 21 U.S. drone attacks in September, the highest number ever recorded in a single month.
Pakistan is now blocking a vital supply route for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, in apparent retaliation for a cross-border NATO air strike that Pakistan says killed three of its soldiers.
Militants in Pakistan also have taken action against NATO, setting fire to about 30 NATO oil tankers Friday. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
