Eleven dead in remote-controlled attack on a compound in north Waziristan, the second this week

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A US drone strike in north-western Pakistan has killed 11 militants on Saturday, a Taliban commander and security officials said, as Pakistani security forces pressed ahead with an offensive in a Taliban stronghold near the Afghan border.



Two missiles slammed into a house in the village of Doga Madakhel of the Datta Khel area in the border region of North Waziristan, intelligence officials said. A Taliban commander told Reuters members of the Punjabi Taliban and Uzbek fighters were killed.



Drone strikes in Pakistan resumed in June after a hiatus of six months, during which the Pakistani government pursued peace talks with the Taliban. Pakistan announced an anti-Taliban offensive in North Waziristan within days of the resumption.

North Waziristan is home to local and foreign militants suspected of attacking American and Nato troops across the border in Afghanistan.

US drone strikes are a serious source of tension between Washington and Islamabad. The Pakistan government denounces the strikes as a violation of the country's sovereignty.

A government spokesman was not immediately available to comment on the latest strike, which was the second this week.

On Wednesday, a US drone killed 15 militants also in North Waziristan. The military launched the offensive in the region against local militants and al-Qaida on 15 June, forcing more than 800,000 people to move to other towns and cities for safety.

The military says so far it has killed nearly 500 militants, while it has lost 26 soldiers.