News Service from House Harris

ASIA: Taliban militants kill two 'spies' in Pakistan: officials

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Nov 8 AFP - Taliban militants killed two Afghan mentoday in Pakistan's restive tribal belt after accusing them of spying for US-led forces deployed across the border, local officials said.

The bullet-riddled bodies of the victims were thrown on a road which connects the troubled North Waziristan tribal district to the Afghan province of Khost, both strongholds of al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

The executions were the latest in a string of similar killings and come a day after a suspected US drone fired missiles and destroyed an al-Qaeda sanctuary in North Waziristan, killing 14, including terror network operatives.

A note left on their bodies in Pashto language said the victims were kidnapped from Khost earlier in the week and had confessed to being spies, said alocal administration official.

Militants have killed dozens of local tribesmen and Afghan nationals on alleged charges of spying, mainly for the Pakistani government or US forces operating across the border.

Executions routinely follow suspected US missile strikes against militant targets in Pakistan, which officials say are often conducted on intelligenceprovided by paid local informants.

AFP ht =0A