Updated on
Summary
A US drone fired three missiles, destroying a compound in Pakistan's tribal belt near the Afghan border early Wednesday and killing six militants, security officials said.A covert US drone war targets Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked commanders in the nuclear-armed country's northwestern tribal belt, where militants have carved out havens in mountainous areas outside direct government control. A US drone attack targeted a compound owned by Zamir Khan, a local tribesman, and used by militants. Two missiles were fired, a Pakistani security official told. Four people were killed, the official said. The strike took place at the village of Tapi, in the district of North Waziristan about 20 kilometers east of the town of Miranshah. Another Pakistani intelligence official confirmed the first attack and said another US drone fired a third drone into the same compound killing, another two suspected militants and bringing the overall death toll to six. The identities of the dead were not immediately clear, nor whether they included any high-value targets. The area is a known stronghold of the Haqqani network active in attacks on US troops in Afghanistan and of Afghan warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur, who is reputed to control up to 2,000 fighters in the nine-year Afghan insurgency. After the first attack at about 12:45 am local residents saw flames leaping out of the compound and said more drones were hovering over the area, preventing them from collecting the dead. Pakistani security officials said the targeted compound was a residence for militants and Wednesday's attack was the second in North Waziristan in days. Two militants were also wounded in the attack, they said.
