PESHAWAR, Pakistan » Officials say the bullet-riddled bodies of three men have been found at the side of a road in North Waziristan, killed by suspected Pakistani Taliban militants in apparent retaliation for recent U.S. drone strikes in the area.

Two intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media, said Sunday a note saying "anyone who dares spy for the Americans will meet the same fate" was found next to the corpses.

Local government official Asghar Khan confirms the report but wouldn’t identify the victims.

The slayings came the day after two suspected U.S. missile attacks killed 16 people in the region, part of a recent surge in drone strikes in Pakistan along with stepped-up NATO operations along the frontier.