South Asia News

Four militants killed in Pakistan by suspected US drone

Jan 8, 2010, 15:52 GMT

Islamabad - Four suspected militants were killed and two injured in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal district Friday by a missile fired from a what was thought to be a US pilotless aircraft, an intelligence official said.

The missile strike targeted a vehicle in Tabbi area near Miranshah, the major town of the district that borders Afghanistan.

'We have received reports from the locals that a car was destroyed in the missile strike and four Taliban inside were killed while two were injured,' said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The United States has intensified drone strikes in Pakistan's rugged tribal region, a safe-haven of Taliban and al-Qaeda militants launching cross border raids on US-led international forces in Afghanistan.

Dozens of al-Qaeda members have been eliminated by US air raids, but these have attracted criticism from Pakistani public and the government.

However, US Senator John McCain told reporters in Islamabad that his country would continue to use drone strikes as an important tool to root out extremism from the region.

The visiting US lawmaker acknowledged that the two countries had differences over the issue, adding that the negotiations were underway to find a common ground.

'We believe that, as I have stated and as our government has stated, that it is one of many tools that we must use to try to defeat a very determined and terrible enemy,' said McCain.