WORLD BRIEFING / PAKISTAN

Suspected U.S. missiles leveled a Taliban compound in northwest Pakistan, officials said, killing three people despite militant threats of a wave of suicide bombings if the strikes don’t end.

Parts of Pakistan’s northwest regions bordering Afghanistan are havens for Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters. Many are believed to be involved in attacks on U.S. and NATO forces across the border, and American officials say the missile strikes are a key tool in taking them out.

The suspected strike occurred in South Waziristan, a tribal region that is the main stronghold of Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mahsud, who is believed to be allied with the Al Qaeda network.

Shahab Ali Shah, the region’s top administrative official, said three people died and five were wounded in Zari Noor village. Their identities were not immediately clear.

Since August, the U.S. has escalated its airstrikes on militant targets along the border.