A US drone strike in South Waziristan tribal region’s Shawal area on Sunday killed at least five suspected terrorists.
Sources said the drone fired two missiles on a compound in Kand Ghar area of Shawal district, which stretches across both North and South Waziristan tribal regions. Some local sources claimed that a high-level target was among those killed in the attack but the identity is yet to be ascertained.
The drones reportedly hovered above the area for some time, causing panic and fear among the locals.
South Waziristan is among Pakistan’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with homegrown insurgents and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and al Qaeda operatives, among others.
The tribal region was once the main stronghold for the Pakistani Taliban. The military launched a large offensive against militants there in 2009 and an operation launched this year is currently underway, but insurgents still operate in the area and periodically stage attacks.