Drone attack killed 4 militants North Waziristan

FATA : Four suspected militants were killed in a US drone strike Friday afternoon in North Waziristan regions, one of Pakistan’s restive northwestern tribal agencies near the Afghan border, intelligence and government sources said.

Although military and political administration officials refuse to comment on such strikes in the tribal areas, intelligence sources said the drone targeted a suspected militant facility located in the Hisukhel area of Mir Ali, about 25 kilometres east of Miramshah, the main town in North Waziristan agency.

The drones fired two missiles, destroying the house and killing four militants inside, said the sources on condition of anonymity. The identities of the dead and their affiliation to a militant group were unclear, they added.

Some sources said some foreigners were also among the dead but their nationalities could not be ascertained.

North Waziristan is one of seven regions in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) governed by tribal laws. An extremist insurgency led by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) plagues the region, while the area is known to be infested with militants, including the al Qaeda and other armed extremist organisations.

US drones frequently attack militant hideouts in Pakistan’s tribal regions, targeting suspected Taliban and al Qaeda militants.

Reliable casualty figures are difficult to acquire in the tribal areas, which are largely off-limits to reporters, because of security worries and government restrictions.