PESHAWAR: At least four suspected militants were killed in a US drone strike in the Dattakhel tehsil of North Waziristan tribal region on Saturday.
Intelligence sources said the drone fired two missiles on a compound in Dattakhel, resulting in the deaths of four suspected militants, including a high-value target.
The identity of the militants is yet to be ascertained. Drones were said to be hovering in the area.
North Waziristan is among Pakistan’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border rife with homegrown insurgents and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, among other extremist groups.
Pakistan's military in mid-June had launched an all-out operation, named 'Zarb-i-Azb', against Taliban militants in the region which is still under way. Moreover, months into Zarb-i-Azb, the army also launched Khyber 1, an operation to clear out militant strongholds in the tribal region of Khyber.
The operation in Khyber saw an escalation since the attack on Peshawar's Army Public School that claimed the lives of over 140 people - most of them children. After the attack, army chief General Raheel Sharif also secured assurances from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) commander General Joseph Dunford over complete cooperation in security-related matters.
