A US missile strike on a militant compound in Pakistan's tribal district on the Afghan border has killed 13 rebels and wounded five others. The strike took place in the village of Essori, 20 kilometres east of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan tribal district, known as a hub of Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants. US forces have been waging a covert drone war against Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked commanders in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt, where militants have carved out havens in mountains outside direct government control. Washington has branded the rugged tribal area on the Afghan border a global headquarters of Al Qaeda and the most dangerous place on Earth. Nearly 1,000 people have been killed in more than 110 drone strikes in Pakistan since August 2008, including a number of