At least six militants killed, several injured in US missile strike in North Waziristan

ISLAMABAD - At least six suspected militants were killed and several others injured in a US missile strike in Dande Darbakhel area near Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan.

A US drone struck a terrorist compound in the Pakistani tribal district near the Afghan border and killed six militants, The Nation quoted local security officials as saying, who added that the death toll was expected to rise.

According to reports, US spy planes were still hovering in the area after the missile attack.

This was the fifth US drone strike in North Waziristan in a span of six days. There have been over 200 strikes, which have killed over 900 people, mostly civilians, in the troubled northwest tribal areas of Pakistan since 2008.

Recently, a report by a top UN official had criticized the Obama administration for continuing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operated drone attacks in the semi-autonomous tribal areas of Pakistan, as it has resulted in countless civilian deaths.

Although Pakistan publicly opposes the attacks, saying they violate its sovereignty and fuel anti-American sentiments amongst the population, it is believed that it was sharing intelligence with the US about the insurgents and their hideouts. (ANI)