Speaking to AFP on Thursday, a senior Pakistani security official claimed that at least five militants were killed in the drone attack in the town of Datta Khel in the North Waziristan tribal region.
Advertisement
The strike comes amid turmoil in insurgent ranks after the Afghan Taliban last week announced the death of their reclusive one-eyed leader Mullah Omar.
A security official said that the compound was destroyed and five militants hiding there were killed.
Local sources said members of the deadly Haqqani Network were the target of the latest drone attack.
The death toll could not be verified through independent sources as the area is out of reach of journalists. Pakistan has also developed its own drone to use in the militant-hit northwestern tribal belt.
Global organizations and human rights groups say the US drone strikes in Pakistan pose a growing challenge to the worldwide rule of law. “We reiterate our call for cessation of such strikes”, the statement said.
Though the Haqqani network was allied with Taliban, it carried out its operations independently.
Advertisement
At least 419 US strikes in the country since 2004 have killed between 2467 and 3976 people, including hundreds of civilians, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
