Islamabad - A US unmanned aircraft on Sunday fired two missiles into a compound in Pakistan's north western tribal region along the Afghan border, killing five alleged Islamist militants, security officials said.
The drone attack was carried out against Khadee Chinarkhel village in North Waziristan, a known base for al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters launching cross-border raids into Afghanistan on NATO-led international forces.
“The missiles fired from a drone destroyed parts of the house and a vehicle parked there,” said an intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“We have so far confirmed five deaths but the death toll might rise as some people are believed to be buried under the demolished parts of the house,” he added.
The official said the house was owned by a tribesman Abdur Rehman, who is known to have affiliations with Taliban.
The claims of the intelligence officials can not be verified independently since the journalists and aid workers have very limited access to the area.
Washington does not officially acknowledge drone attacks but its the only country that has deployed armed drone aircraft in the region.
The US prime intelligence agency CIA has carried out more than 100 drone attacks in tribal region this year and killed dozens of Taliban fighters and al-Qaeda operatives.
Pakistan publicly criticises the drone attacks, saying they fuel resentment among the general public, but its intelligence agencies are believed to cooperate in identifying the targets. - Sapa-dpa