MIRAMSHAH: A US drone strike targeting a compound early on Saturday morning killed eleven suspected militants in Madakhel Tehsil in Data Khel, North Waziristan.



"The drone fired eight missiles on the compound at around 2:00am (2100 GMT) on Saturday killing eleven members of the Punjabi faction of the Pakistani Taliban," a senior security official in the region told AFP.



The official said the dead included two "important" commanders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, but he refused to reveal their identities. An official had earlier given a lower death toll of eight dead.



The strike took place in the Mada Khel suburb of Data Khel, a town that lies around 22 miles (36 kilometres) west of Miramshah. The army's operation against the TTP, Zarb-e-Azb is still continuing in North Waziristan.



The area has been used as a hideout for militants of all stripes - including al Qaeda and TTP as well as foreign fighters such as Uzbeks and Chinese Uighurs.



The strike comes two days after another strike in which at least 20 people were killed in Data Khel.



US drone strikes have picked up since the military launched its offensive in Waziristan in mid-June with at least four strikes reported since June 12.



The army says more than 400 militants and 25 soldiers have been killed in the operation so far, and Miramshah town close to being declared as cleared. However, the area remains off-limits to journalists, making it impossible to independently verify the number and identity the dead.