US drone attack kills five in Pakistan, officials say

Feb 16, 2012, 7:20 GMT

Islamabad - At least five suspected militants were killed and seven injured Thursday in a US drone strike in north-western Pakistan, intelligence officials said.

The predawn attack took place in the Spalga area near Miransha, the main town of North Waziristan, one of the seven tribal districts along the Afghan border, where Taliban and al-Qaeda rebels have hideouts.

'A US drone fired two missiles at a compound used by suspected militants,' said a local intelligence official who requested anonymity. The compound was demolished, the official said.

Another intelligence official speaking on the condition of anonymity said the death toll could rise because seven people were seriously injured.

Another strike by an unmanned US aircraft killed nine militants a week ago in the same area, where it is believed that fighters from the Haqqani network, an Afghan Taliban group, are active.

The United States has been carrying out drone strikes in Pakistan for several years, but the campaign was halted temporarily in November after a NATO attack on a Pakistani border post killed 24 soldiers and undermined Pakistani-US relations.

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