Islamabad: A US drone targeted a house in the restive North Waziristan tribal area of Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least four militants, officials in the region said. The CIA-operated spy plane fired two missiles at the house in the remote Shawal area near the Afghan border.
Shawal is located 200 km from Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan Agency.
Besides the four militants killed, two others were injured in the strike, officials were quoted as saying by the media.
The US has continued drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal belt despite Islamabad?s condemnation of the attacks.
Pakistan has described the drone strikes as counterproductive for the war on terror, saying they provoke anti-US sentiments.
US officials claim the drone campaign is effective in targeting Al Qaeda and Taliban elements hiding in North Waziristan.
The US has significantly increased drone strikes in Pakistan since a NATO Summit in Chicago ended last month without a deal on ending Islamabad’s six-month blockade of supply routes to Afghanistan.
The supply lines were shut after a cross-border NATO air strike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November last year. On June 4, a drone attack killed 15 militants in North Waziristan. The dead reportedly included senior Al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi.
Pakistan summoned the acting US envoy on June 5 and lodged a strong protest over the drone strikes, saying the attacks were unlawful and a violation of the country’s sovereignty.
PTI