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US drone strike kills at least six suspected Pakistani militants
At least six Pakistani militants have been killed by a suspected US drone, today, after a missile was fired at a house linked to a group that has frequently carried out attacks on NATO troops in Afghanistan.
The strike hit a house in the village of Dande Darpa Khel, near the main town of North Waziristan, which is a tribal area along the border mainly controlled by militants at war with foreign troops in Afghanistan.
The residence was owned by a member of the militant Haqqani network, one considered by US military officials to be the most risky threat to NATO troops. The Haqqani network is closely linked with the Taliban, led by fighter Jalaluddin Haqqani.
The US military has increased its drone strikes in the past weeks, carrying out five suspected attacks in less than a week. The US refuses to publicly acknowledge the strikes.
The militants have not launched attacks inside Pakistan, and analysts consider that government, which has not yet launched a military offensive against the group, may view them as an ally once foreign troops withdraw from Afghanistan.
Without a Pakistani military offensive, the US relied on drone strikes to battle the group.
Militants have stepped up attacks in Pakistan in recent days, possibly taking advantage of the army's focus on helping millions of victims from the worst floods in the country's history. A string of four big attacks have killed at least 135 people in less than a week.
