PESHAWAR: Five militants, most of them foreigners, were killed in a drone strike in North Waziristan's Dattakhel area, intelligence sources said.

The sources said the identity of the militants could not be ascertained, adding that most of those killed were foreigners.

Two militants were also injured when the drone fired two missiles on a compound in Dattakhel.

This is the fourth such drone strike since the Pakistani military launched Operation Zarb-i-Azb in the militancy-infested lawless region to wipe out longstanding bases of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups.

The semi-autonomous tribal area on the Afghan border has for years been a hideout for several militant groups – including Al Qaeda and the TTP as well as foreign fighters such as Uzbeks and Uighurs.

Pakistan routinely protests against US drone strikes, saying they violate the country's sovereignty and are counterproductive in the fight against terror.

The US had suspended drone strikes for around six months when Pakistan was pursuing peace talks with the TTP but resumed the attacks in June after the talks failed.