MIRAMSHAH, Jan 10: Four militants were killed in pre-dawn drone attacks in Mirali sub-district of North Waziristan on Thursday, local tribesmen said.

They said four missiles fired by drones hit a house and a motorbike in Hassokhel village in Mirali tehsil, some 35km east from here, at 2am.

Two suspected militants were killed on the motorbike on the Khaisur road and two died in the attack on the house.

Local people said that bodies were mutilated beyond recognition.

The slain men are said to be local Mehsud Taliban.

AFP adds: At least six militants were killed in the attack, security officials said, adding it was the fifth drone strike in a week, the heaviest concentration since last August.

Officials said US drones fired four missiles, two at a house and another two at a nearby motorbike, killing four militants in the house and two on the bike.

“Six drones were in the sky at the time of the attack. One drone fired two missiles at a house while a second drone fired another two at a motorcycle,” a security official said.

“The compound was completely destroyed, bodies of all those killed were badly mutilated,” the official added, putting the death toll at six.