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9 killed in US drone attack in tribal belt
The drone fired two missiles at the madrassa and a vehicle in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan tribal agency, TV news channels reported.
At least nine people were killed on Saturday in a US drone attack targeting a madrassa in a stronghold of the Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt, the latest in a series of missile strikes in the troubled region bordering Afghanistan.
The drone fired two missiles at the madrassa and a vehicle in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan tribal agency, TV news channels reported.
It was not immediately clear whether any high-value target was among the nine persons killed in the attack, which also left several others injured.
Drones hovered over North Waziristan after the attack, causing panic among local residents. The area where the attack occurred is considered a hub for Taliban and al-Qaeda militants.
This was the second drone attack in the tribal belt in the past four days. Eight militants were killed in the Tuesday attack in South Waziristan agency.
There have been over 40 US drone attacks in the Pakistani tribal belt since August last year. Nearly 400 people have been killed in the strikes so far.
Pakistan has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the drone attacks, describing them as a violation of its sovereignty and counter-productive for the war on terror due to the collateral damage caused by them.
