New US drone attack 'kills three'

The missile strikes have been criticised by Pakistan's political parties

Suspected US missile strikes have killed at least three militants close to the Afghan border, officials say.

The attacks took place in Pakistan's South Waziristan area, known as a Taleban and al-Qaeda stronghold.

On Thursday, reports said three people were killed in another suspected US drone attack in the same area.

Pakistan has repeatedly protested against the dozens of US drone attacks in recent months that mostly target militants in the tribal regions.

'Violations'

In the latest attack, the unmanned aircraft fired two missiles at an abandoned government school.

Witnesses said the three killed were Pakistani members of a militant group that was using the building as their camp.

Residents in the Maidan Narai area in the Ladha sub-district of South Waziristan told the BBC Urdu service that the attack took place at about 1000 local time.

The residents said they recovered three bodies from the rubble of the building. They were all from Pakistan's Punjab province, the residents said.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Islamabad says Ladha is the stronghold of the leader of the Pakistani Taleban, Baitullah Mehsud.

Pakistan has repeatedly protested to Washington about the US strikes, with President Asif Ali Zardari saying that he will not tolerate violations of his country's territory.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi reiterated the stance, saying: "As a friend, we are telling them: Don't do it."

On Thursday, an unmanned aircraft fired three missiles in the South Waziristan region, killing three people, reports said.

A local security official told AFP news agency that those killed in the strike in the Karikot area were known Taleban militants.

The other two missiles hit a hilltop house used as a militant hideout, but it was empty at the time of the strike, officials said.

A similar US air strike in Karikot killed eight suspected militants 10 days ago, AFP added.