PESHAWAR: Unconfirmed reports on Thursday emerged of a drone strike in North Waziristan's Shawal area. Local media reports said that five suspected militants were killed and several others injured, however, there has been no confirmation of the strike or casualties from intelligence sources.
Reports said that a few mortar shells were fired in the area before a curfew was imposed. Local residents say drones were seen hovering over 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.
