The drones targeted suspected militants in the North Waziristan tribal agency. – File photo by AP
The drones targeted suspected militants in the North Waziristan tribal agency. – File photo by AP

PESHAWAR: 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.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

THE Punjab government would be keen to forget its first year of treating smog as ‘a year-round epidemic’ instead...
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.