Under President Barack Obama, the United States has drastically stepped up drone strikes in Pakistan but it refuses to discuss them publicly. —File Photo

MIRAMSHAH: A US drone strike targeting a militant compound killed six suspected rebels in Pakistan’s tribal region of North Waziristan near the Afghan border on Tuesday, security officials said.

The strike took place in Miramshah Bazaar, part of the town of Miramshah, in the troubled North Waziristan region, known as a strong bastion of Taliban and al Qaeda linked militants.

“At least six militants were killed when a US drone fired two missiles on a rebel compound in the bazaar,” a security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

He said thick smoke was seen coming out of the compound after the strike, adding the identities of those killed could not be immediately verified.

Another security official also confirmed the strike and rise in the death toll, given as three earlier.

Three militants were also wounded in the pre-dawn attack. Officials said all those killed were “Punjabi” militants, a term used for insurgents from the country's central Punjab province.