Two US drone strikes targeting a Taliban compound and a vehicle in North Waziristan killed at least nine militants on Monday, but the US “formally apologised” to Pakistan late at night, saying the country would be taken into confidence on such future attacks. Both the attacks took place in Mir Ali town. Two US drones fired two missiles into a militant compound, and minutes later a second drone fired another two missiles at a vehicle close to the compound, officials said. “At least nine militants were killed,” said a security official. Meanwhile, a private TV channel reported that the US authorities had made a formal apology to Pakistan’s leadership over the drone strike. The channel said that this was for the first time that Washington had apologised for drone strikes.
