BY VOA NEWS – A suspected U.S. missile strike has killed five men believed to be militants in northwest Pakistan’s tribal region.
Pakistani intelligence officials say at least two missiles struck a suspected militant compound near the town of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan.
North Waziristan is home to thousands of militants and their leaders who use the area as a base to attack NATO forces across the border in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistani paramilitary troops have conducted searches in the southern port city of Karachi, rounding up dozens of people in a crackdown on soaring violence.
The troops, known as Rangers, descended on the city’s Orangi Town neighborhood Tuesday, going door-to-door, stopping vehicles and searching suspects.
Officials cordoned off parts of the area, forcing some area residents to stay home from work while others were left to wait in the streets.
Local media said about 300 people had been detained for questioning, but local residents said the actual number was likely twice as high.
The crackdown follows a surge in violence this month that has left at least 40 people dead, with 17 shooting deaths in just the past week.
Karachi has long been plagued by political and ethnic violence, which has fueled growing tensions between its two main political parties, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Awami National Party .