US missile strike kills three in Pakistan: officials

A US missile strike destroyed a vehicle in Pakistan's lawless tribal district of Kurram on Monday, killing three militants near the border with Afghanistan, security officials said.

US drone strikes routinely target Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants holed up in Pakistan's tribal belt, but the operations are normally concentrated on insurgent strongholds in Waziristan, rather than Kurram.

Monday's strike targeted a vehicle travelling through the Kharh Dhand area of Kurram, which borders Afghanistan's eastern province of Paktia. Local officials said it was only the third US drone strike reported in Kurram.

"The American drone fired two missiles. Three militants were killed and the vehicle was completely destroyed," a Pakistani security official said on condition of anonymity.