Peshawar: A US drone strike killed at least four suspected militants in Pakistan’s restive tribal belt on Wednesday, security officials said.
The unmanned aircraft hit a compound in Kund Sar village, some 60 kilometres south of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal region, which borders Afghanistan.
“The drone fired two missiles, killing four people and injuring at least two,” a security official in the area said via phone.
“There could be more dead bodies under the rubble,” he said, suggesting that the death toll may rise.
An intelligence official in the area confirmed the attack and said that militants loyal to the warlord Gul Bahadur and the feared Haqqani network operate in the area.
Another security official in Peshawar also confirmed the strike and that the Haqqani network and foreign militants are active in the area.
North Waziristan is one of the seven lawless tribal districts of Pakistan that border Afghanistan and has long been a hub for Al Qaida and Taliban militants.
The area is off-limits to journalists, making it impossible to independently verify the number and identity of the dead.
Washington pressed Islamabad for years to wipe out the sanctuaries in the North Waziristan tribal area, which militants have used to launch attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan.
The Pakistani military launched a major offensive in North Waziristan in June and say they have killed more than 1,500 militants so far, with 125 soldiers losing their lives in the operation.
Condemning the latest strike in its territory, Pakistan said the US attacks are “completely unnecessary” as Pakistani forces are battling the militants in North Waziristan tribal region.
“The government of Pakistan condemns the drone strike that took place in the early hours of Wednesday, at Garga, north of Shawal in North Waziristan Agency,” Xinhua quoted a foreign ministry statement as saying.
“Pakistan regards such strikes as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and demands their immediate cessation,” the statement said.
The foreign ministry said the government of Pakistan was itself taking decisive action against terrorist elements in North Waziristan Agency, thus rendering such strikes completely unnecessary.
