Miranshah, Pakistan: A US drone strike targeting a militant compound on Monday killed three militants in a troubled Pakistan tribal region near the Afghan border, officials said.
The attack took place in the Boya area of North Waziristan region of which Miranshah is the main town.
“A US drone fired two missiles on a militant compound, killing three rebels,” a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
This was the second strike in less than 24 hours. At least three militants were killed on Sunday in a drone attack on Dargamandi area in North Waziristan, also known as a strong bastion of Taliban and Al Qaida-linked militants.
Another security official confirmed the strike and casualties but said the identities of those killed were not immediately known.
Pakistan condemned the latest US drone attack in the country’s North Waziristan tribal region on Monday which killed three people and injured four.
Security sources said the unmanned US aircraft fired missiles on a compound in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan, Xinhua reported.
“The government of Pakistan strongly condemns the US drone strike that took place in North Waziristan on September 30. These unilateral strikes are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“These drone strikes have a negative impact on the mutual desire of both countries to forge a cordial and cooperative relationship and to ensure peace and stability in the region,” the statement added.
The latest strike was carried out just days after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in his UN General Assembly’s address, urged the US to stop drone attacks. The US, however, argues the CIA-controlled drone campaign is important to eliminate militants blamed for cross-border attacks into Afghanistan.
It was the second consecutive drone attack in the same region in two days.
Boya is believed to be stronghold of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group and both foreign and local militants. Bahadur, a local warlord, is allied with the Afghan Taliban fighting US-led troops across the border.
US drone attacks are deeply unpopular in Pakistan, but Washington sees them as a vital tool in the fight against militants in the lawless tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.
The Pakistani government has repeatedly protested against drone strikes as a violation of its sovereignty. But privately officials have been reported as saying the attacks can be useful in removing militants from the country.
