At least four militants have been killed by a US drone strike on Sunday in North Waziristan, security officials said. The attack took place in Datta Khel town, 35 kilometres (22 miles) west of Miranshah, the main town in the lawless North Waziristan region which borders Afghanistan. The area is a stronghold of Taliban and al Qaeda-linked militants.
Six US drones flew over the area when one of them fired two missiles at a compound in the Manzarkhel area of the town. "The drones kept hovering at the compound for a while and then one drone fired two missiles at the time of sunset," a local security official said.
"At least four militants were killed in the strike," said the official. Another security official in Peshawar, which lies on the edge of the tribal region, confirmed the attack and the casualties. An eyewitness said that the compound caught fire after the strike leaving all the bodies burnt. "The bodies of the militants were severely burnt and it was hard to identify them," Haji Gul Badin, a local shopkeeper, told.