A US drone fired missiles into a vehicle, killing four militants in North Waziristan on Monday that hugs the Afghan border, security officials said. It was only the third such US attack reported in so far this year, following a moratorium after US firepower inadvertently killed 24 soldiers in November, plunging relations to an all-time low.
The attack took place at Degan village, some 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan, the officials said. "A US drone fired two missiles into a vehicle and four militants were killed," a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Local intelligence officials said the dead militants were from Turkmenistan, but their exact identities were not immediately known. "The vehicle burst into flames after the missiles hit. Militants have cordoned the area and (are) taking out the bodies," a local official told AFP. Sixty-four US missile strikes were reported in semi-autonomous tribal belt last year, down from 101 reported in 2010 according to AFP tallies.