DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistani intelligence officials say an American missile strike has killed at least three people in a militant stronghold near the Afghan border.

The two officials say a pair of missiles struck a house near the town of Wana in South Waziristan on Tuesday.They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk with reporters.

Washington has fired scores of missiles into northwest Pakistan since 2008 to target Taliban and al-Qaida operatives.

The latest strike comes at a time when tension are already high between Washington and Islamabad following a recent claim by a top US military officer, Adm. Mike Mullen, that Pakistan's main spy agency backed those militants who carried out attacks against American targets in Afghanistan. Pakistan has denied the allegation.