Drone strike in North Waziristan kills five suspected militants

At least three suspected militants were also injured in the attack. Foreigners were reportedly present in the compound

MIRANSHAH: At least five suspected militants were killed when a US drone fired two missiles at a compound in North Waziristan, officials said on Tuesday night.

The drone, which was monitoring the area for a couple of hours, fired two missiles at the compound in Karwanda area of Datta Khel Tehsil.

"5 militants were killed and three were injured" local sources and officials said on the condition of anonymity. Reportedly, some foreigners were among those killed, however, their names or identities could not be immediately ascertained.

Sources said that the death toll could rise once the rubble is cleared.

Karwanda is located 35 Kilometres west of Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan Agency. The area is adjacent to Shawal where the military recently launched ground operations against terrorists.

This is the second drone attack in the area in the past 30 days.

Read: US drone kills seven in North Waziristan

A US drone killed at least seven suspected militants in Datta Khel, North Waziristan Agency on August 6.

Officials and local sources said that the unmanned aircraft launched two missiles at a compound in the Alwara Mandi area of Datta Khel.

“At least seven militants were killed,” a local official told The Express Tribune while confirming the drone strike. “Another two were injured as well,” he added.

Read: US to increase military drone flights: report

Also in August, a report stated that the US was looking to drastically increase drone flights over the next four years, in a bid to boost intelligence and strike capabilities across a growing number of conflict zones.

TheWall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon was planning to expand the number of daily flights from 61 at present to as many as 90 by 2019, a senior defense official told the Journal.