US drone kills 'militants' in Pakistan

According to two Pakistani intelligence officials, the US drone fired missiles which struck a militant compound in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan early on Sunday.

"A US drone fired two missiles which hit a compound and a vehicle in Alwara Mandi of North Waziristan... killing six terrorists," a senior security official told AFP news agency.

The compound, some 300 meters from the Afghan border, was used by fighters loyal to the Pakistani Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur as well as Uzbek militants. It was not immediately clear whether Bahadur himself was in the compound at the time of the strike.

US drone strikes, however, remain unpopular in Pakistan with much of the country condemning them as a violation of their country's sovereignty, particularly as a result of unintended civilian casualties.

Increased offensive

Sunday's drone strikes came just hours after four militant hideouts and a suicide bomber training center were also destroyed in Pakistani airstrikes late on Saturday in the Tirrah valley of the Khyber region, according to an army statement.

Several would-be suicide bombers are reported to have been among those killed.

According to the military, the operation is aimed at militants who a fled a massive offensive in the neighboring North Waziristan region. Since the mission was launched on June 15, 2014 more than 1,700 militants have been killed, the military said.

Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have also been stepping up their offensive against insurgents after Taliban militants killed 132 children at a school in Peshawar last month.

ksb/se (AP, AFP, Reuters)