Miranshah: Missiles from a US drone aircraft killed seven Islamist militants at a training compound in Pakistan's lawless northwestern tribal belt on Sunday, officials said.
Two missiles slammed into a building near the main town in North Waziristan, a tribal region rife with Taliban, al Qaeda-linked fighters and militants from the Haqqani network, which is known for its attacks in Afghanistan.
Washington is pressuring Islamabad to dismantle militant border sanctuaries, and US drone missile strikes in the region have soared since US President Barack Obama put Pakistan at the heart of his fight against al Qaeda.
"Seven militants were killed and four wounded in the drone attack," said a security official who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the US strikes, which fuel anti-American sentiment in Pakistan.
"We have sent our team to assess the situation and get details. It's a remote area and the communications system is bad."
Another security official confirmed the casualties and said the dead included "four foreigners, possibly Uzbeks”. Pakistani officials usually use the term "foreigners" to refer to al Qaeda-linked militants.
A local government official said the targeted compound about 25 kilometres (15 miles) east of North Waziristan's main town of Miranshah was used for training insurgents, while a car was also destroyed in the bombing raid.
A barrage of US drone strikes hit Pakistan's northwest tribal belt in January, most concentrated around Miranshah.
On February 02, a swarm of US drones fired a large volley of missiles at an extremist stronghold in North Waziristan, killing at least 16 militants, but there had been a lull in such raids since then.
The Pakistan government publicly condemns the strikes saying they violate the nation's sovereignty. However, analysts say Islamabad gives tacit approval to its US ally for the raids.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, February 15, 2010, 10:19