Drone attack in northwestern Pakistan kills 6

The missiles were fired at a compound in South Waziristan, a rugged, lawless region close to the Afghan border, said the two Pakistani officials on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media

There were conflicting claims as to the identities of the dead

Pakistani Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq called the Associated Press soon after the attack and said that women and children were the only victims

In the past, both the government and Taliban have passed on information that was not true

The attack came two days after Rehman and another top commander, Hakimullah Mehsud, acknowledged Baitullah was dead, ending weeks of public denials. In the same telephone call to The Associated Press, they announced that Hakimullah was the new leader of the movement, while Rehman was in charge of South Waziristan.

The missiles are fired from CIA-operated drones believed to be launched from Afghanistan or from secret bases inside Pakistan. They are reported to be piloted by operatives inside the United States.

It has called on Washington to give the technology for such attacks to Islamabad because its military is capable of using the drones