James Lee Harper Jr.-USAF—AFP
Strike targeted suspected Taliban compound in North Waziristan.
A U.S. drone strike on Monday killed at least five militants in North Waziristan, where Islamabad launched a full-scale military offensive last year, security officials said.
The strike targeted a Taliban compound in an area that has been a hub for Al Qaeda and Taliban militants since the early 2000s. Recent drone attacks by the U.S. have raised speculation that Washington and Islamabad are coordinating their military efforts. Pakistan however officially denounces the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty.
“A U.S. drone fired two missiles at a compound in Shahi Khel neighborhood of Shawal, killing five terrorists,” said a senior security official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Another security official confirmed the strike and casualties.
The area is generally off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to independently verify the number and identity of the dead.
The Pakistani military launched a major offensive, Operation Zarb-e-Azb, in North Waziristan in June and says it has killed more than 1,800 militants so far, with 126 soldiers having lost their lives. The latest strikes came after Pakistan ramped up its anti-terror strategy in the wake of a Dec. 16 attack on an Army-run school in Peshawar that killed 150 people, 134 of them children.