ISLAMABAD – A suspected U.S. drone fired four missiles at a vehicle carrying Uzbek and local militants in the country's northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border on Wednesday, killing 10 of them, two Pakistani intelligence officials said.

The missiles hit the moving vehicle when it was about 500 meters (yards) away from the Afghan border in the Pakistani border town of Datta Khel in a militant-stronghold of North Waziristan, the officials said.

Both Uzbek and local militants were among the 10 men killed, the officials said, adding that authorities were trying to get more details. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

U.S. drones often target militant hideouts in North Waziristan, which is home to local and al-Qaida-linked foreign groups.

The strikes are extremely contentious in Pakistan, where many consider them an affront to Pakistani sovereignty. They also say the strikes kill innocent civilians, which the U.S. denies. The Pakistani government regularly protests over the drone strikes.

The latest strike comes at a time when Pakistan's military is carrying out a much-awaited operation against Pakistani and foreign militants in North Waziristan. The military says it has killed over 1,000 militants since launching the operation there on June 15 but such claims are difficult to verify independently because of the remoteness and the inaccessibility of the region.

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