Islamabad, Sept 18 : Six people, including a couple of foreigners, were killed and three injured last evening when the US forces launched air strikes on a compound allegedly used by militants in South Waziristan, officials said.

The attack came hours after US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen told Pakistani leaders that America respected Pakistan’s sovereignty, amid a mounting tension over cross-border strikes by the US. Mullen had paid a hurriedly arranged visit to Islamabad to hold talks with Pakistan Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani after Pakistan Government aired grudges against the US’ strikes.

According to intelligence officials, the missiles hit the compound used by Taliban and militant organisation Hizb-e-Islami. A security official said that the dead included some foreigners, but their nationalities were not immediately known.

Giving details, a senior official said that the strike was the result of US and Pakistani intelligence sharing, adding a container of arms and ammunition was also destroyed. “It shows improving intelligence co-ordination on the ground,” the Daily Times quoted the unidentified official as saying.

“There are a few militant training camps in the area and no civilian population around the site of the strike,” another official said and added that the Baghar Cheena area, where the strike took place, was the stronghold of local Taliban commander Maulvi Nazeer. But it was not immediately clear whether he was in the area at the time of the strike. “Two missiles directly hit the compound while the other two fell in the surrounding area,” he added. (ANI)