PESHAWAR: A US drone strike targeting a rebel vehicle and a compound on Sunday killed six militants and wounded five others in a Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border, officials said.

The unmanned aircraft fired missiles in mountainous Spalga village, 15 kilometres northeast of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan tribal district and a stronghold of Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked rebels.

“US drones fired six missiles targeting a militant vehicle and a nearby rebel compound owned by a Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader, Rahimullah, killing six militants,” a senior security official in Miranshah told AFP.

Five militants were also wounded in the attack, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The identities of those killed and injured were not immediately known.

Another security official also confirmed the strike and casualties but said it was not clear how many drones had taken part in the attack.

He added that several drones were still flying in the area.

Earlier in the day, a US missile strike in the lawless tribal region of South Waziristan had missed its target, a militant vehicle, allowing at least four militants to flee.