US drone strike in North Waziristan kills four suspected TTP militants

Drone hits house in Shawal, according to initial reports

SHAWAL: At least four militants were killed when a US drone targeted a compound in Shawal in the mountainous region of North Waziristan in the early hours of Sunday.

Reports from the far flung mountainous region reveal that militants have established a compound in an abandoned home in Shawal, tehsil Data Khel, which was hit by two missiles simultaneously.

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As a result of the missiles strike, various portions of the compound were destroyed, whereas four of its occupants were killed on the spot.

The people who were killed in the drone strike haven’t been identified as yet but officials say that they were associated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) faction headed by Khan Said Sajna.

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After splitting from the TTP headed by Mullah Fazal Ullah, most of the Sajna group militants started taking shelter in scattered areas of North and South Waziristan, especially in Shawal, connecting both the tribal agencies with border provinces of Afghanistan.

This is the first US drone strike of this month.