
ISLAMABAD: At least three terrorists were killed when a Pakistani-made drone carried out an operation in the Shawal valley of North Waziristan tribal agency, the ISPR said on Monday.According to the military's public relations wing, the 'Burraq' drone fired missiles on compound in the valley, killing at least three terrorists.The ISPR said that the targets killed in the drone operation were high-profile terrorists.This is the first time the Pakistani military has used its indigenously-built armed drone Burraq in combat operations.The military successfully tested ‘Burraq’ (flying horse) and test-fired its laser-guided missile ‘Barq’ (lightning) in March this year.Pakistan has long demanded armed drone and laser-guided missile technology from the United States, which has been running a controversial drone programme against militant hideouts in the northwestern tribal areas bordering Afghanistan since 2004.Pakistan officially opposes the missile strikes by the US drones, terming them a violation of its territorial sovereignty and has long asked the US to give them the technology required to run their own programme.The army has been battling terror groups in its semi-autonomous tribal belt since 2003, but stepped up its fight last June when it launched a major military offensive, Operation Zarb-e-Azb, against militancy and terrorism in the country.