PARACHINAR: The casualty figures in the suspected drone attacks in Central Kurram tribal region on Thursday night rose to 25 while six people were still missing, a senior official said.

The official who sought anonymity said that four sites including the house of tribal elder Malik Jamil were targeted by unmanned drones in Berju area of Central Kurram on late Thursday night. He said that majority of the dead were locals. The area is located some 90 kilometers northeast of Parachinar city.

Sources said that drones targeted four suspected sites and 25 bodies had been retrieved from the rubble. They said that six people were still missing while 15 wounded persons were rescued.

A senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity that 50 others, mostly militants, were injured and the dead included ‘foreigners.’ ‘No high-value targets were believed to have died,’ the official added.

This was the second drone attack in Kurram tribal region. Two missiles were fired at a suspected compound in Ahmadi Shama village in Lower Kurram on February 16 which resulted in 30 casualties.

A rescue operation was still underway in the area. It could not be confirmed who was in control of the targeted hideouts.

On the other hand elders of six major tribes met at a jirga in Dogar area on Friday and condemned missile attacks in the area. Haji Saleem Khan, Haji Saifullah and Mahmood Bangash addressing the jirga said that innocent people had been killed in the strike.