Suspected drone strikes kill 18

Finishing out the year with a bang.


Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Two suspected U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal region killed 18 alleged militants Monday, intelligence officials told CNN.

It was the latest in a series of aerial assaults targeting insurgents in North Waziristan, one of seven districts in Pakistan's volatile tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

In one attack, a suspected drone fired four missiles on a militants' vehicle in the Mir Ali area of the district, two intelligence officials said. Six people died in the attack.

In the second attack, a suspected drone fired two missiles at a militant hideout in the same district, killing 12, officials said.

Based on a count by the CNN Islamabad bureau, Monday's suspected drone strikes bring the number to 108 this year, compared with 52 in all of 2009.