US airstrikes kill six militants, say Pakistani officials

ISLAMABAD - At least six militants were killed in a US drone attack in Pakistan’s restive north-western tribal areas along the Afghan border, Pakistani security officials said Tuesday.

The strikes occurred in the Ghwakhwa area of South Waziristan, where the Pakistan Army claimed victory over Taliban and Al Qaeda militants after a campaign of several weeks that started in October.

A senior official said on the condition of anonymity that two missiles destroyed a compound used by militants.

“Our reports show that six militants were killed and three were injured,” the official said.

Local militants recovered the bodies from the rubble and moved the injured to secret locations, he said.

The area is under the control of the pro-government militant Mullah Nazir, who was spared during the South Waziristan operation because he had entered a peace agreement with the government.

The mullah and thousands of his militants remained neutral during the military offensive. Both they and the army have apparently refrained from attacking each other even after the end of the campaign.

The drone attack came at a time when the government is trying to persuade thousands of people displaced during the operation to return to their homes.

The US has stepped up drone attacks in the tribal areas, mostly in neighbouring North Waziristan, which is considered a bastion of militants attacking foreign troops in Afghanistan.

Officials said more than 900 militants have been killed in more than 100 CIA-operated drone attacks in the tribal region since mid-2008. The attacks have also caused civilian casualties.