MIRAMSHAH: At least four militants were killed and five others wounded in a US drone missile strike in Pakistan's tribal region near the Afghan border, officials said Thursday.

The attack took place in Shanakhora village of North Waziristan, an area where Washington says militants are hiding out and planning attacks on Western troops stationed in neighbouring Afghanistan.

‘It was a US drone attack which targeted a militant compound killing four militants and wounding five others,’ a senior security official in the area told AFP.

He said two missiles were fired from a US drone. Another security official confirmed the attack.

‘The compound was being used by Taliban militants, however it is not clear whether there were any foreign militants or high-value targets,’ the official told AFP.

Residents in Miramshah, the capital of North Waziristan tribal district, said they heard two loud blasts just before midnight.

The attack came against the backdrop of a continuing military offensive in neighbouring South Waziristan, a stronghold of the feared Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).