US drone strike kills seven in North Waziristan

Published January 28, 2015
In this photo, a US drone stands inside a hangar at Bagram Air Field in the Parwan province of Afghanistan.— Reuters/File
In this photo, a US drone stands inside a hangar at Bagram Air Field in the Parwan province of Afghanistan.— Reuters/File

PESHAWAR: At least seven suspected militants were killed and one other was injured in a US drone strike in the Shawal area of North Waziristan Agency on Wednesday.

Intelligence sources said the US drone fired two missiles on a compound and a vehicle on the border of North and South Waziristan Agency in Shawal valley.

The identity of the militants is yet to be ascertained.

Drone attacks are widely unpopular across Pakistan and according to survey conducted in June last year, 66 per cent of the country's citizens oppose these strikes.

North Waziristan is among Pakistan’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with insurgents and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, among others.

Pakistan's military in June 2014 had launched an all-out operation, named 'Zarb-i-Azb', against Taliban militants in the region.

The operation was initiated following a brazen militant attack on Karachi's international airport and failure of peace talks between the government and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) negotiators.

The offensive has driven out over 800,000 residents from North Waziristan and the army says it has cleared 90 per cent of the tribal region.

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