Suspected US strike kills 20 militants

Missiles from a suspected US drone aircraft killed up to 20 militants in a Pakistani region on the Afghan border yesterday, officials said, hours before Afghan and Pakistani tribal and political leaders met to discuss peace.

Violence has surged in both Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent months, raising fears about the future for both countries at the heart of the US-led global campaign against militancy.

The violence has strained ties between US allies Afghanistan and Pakistan, with Afghanistan complaining Pakistan has not done enough to stop Taliban fighters infiltrating from sanctuaries in its northwestern Pashtun lands.