A U.S. drone aircraft fired missiles into Pakistan's South Waziristan region, killing 13 militants, officials said, ahead of an expected Pakistani military offensive in the area. The United States, facing a growing Afghan insurgency, began stepping up drone attacks on militant strongholds in lawless enclaves over the Pakistani side of the border a year ago despite Pakistani complaints. Three missiles were fired at militant hideouts in an area near the Afghan border controlled by Pakistani Taliban leader and al Qaeda ally Baitullah Mehsud, killing 10 militants and wounding seven, two intelligence agency officials said. The missiles hit an office of Mufti Noor Wali, who was once in charge of training militants for suicide attacks, one of the officials said.
